Princess Ookami
by Little Lady Kunimitsu
Summary: As a great war between spirits and humans draws closer to its centennial year, the kingdom of Mordrivale hires Siegfried Schtauffen to help eliminate the spirits once and for all. But, after he encounters a spirit dweller, he questions his objective.
1. To Kill One Who is Immortal

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur**

* * *

**Chapter One: To Kill One Who Is Immortal**

For many, many centuries, if not millenniums, spirits have ruled in a forest that covers over half of Germany. To the spirits, they call the forest and the mighty river that runs through it their home. Spirits remained undisturbed by the mortals who live around the forest. But one day, their celestial sanctuary was disturbed.

Humans, from the kingdom of Mordrivale, were cutting down trees, making more room for the growing kingdom. The spirits were outraged by the mortals' action. They immediately took action and killed the humans that were cutting down their trees. When the king of the kingdom found out about this, he became furious and claimed war against the spirits. With the help of other kingdoms, they raised up an army to destroy the spirits and claim the forest as their own. Unfortunately, the spirits were able to defeat the army easily.

Furious, the king of Mordivale and the neighboring kingdoms held a conference and tried to figure out a way to destroy the spirits. But, how can you kill one who is immortal?

In the middle of a discussion, a hermit walked into the room. This hermit was disgusting and wearing nothing but rags. In his hands, he had what seems to be a pelt from a creature that has never been seen by human eyes.

At first, the kings were angry by the hermit's interruption. The hermit said something to them.

"You see this nice pelt gentleman? It's a pelt of a spirit. I know how to kill spirit."

The men curious and asked if this is true. The hermit nodded and told the kings how he did it. Excited, the king of Mordivale made the hermit leader of training the army and told him to teach the soldiers how to kill the pesky spirits.  
Now, the war between the spirits and humans will be even.

* * *

Siegfried Schtauffen walked briskly behind a guard down the large hallways of the castle. His large sword was swung over his back. For some odd reason, he had been summoned by the king of this place he has never been to.

"What is it that the king here wants me to do?" Siegfried asked the guard in front of him.

The guard didn't answer and kept walking. Siegfried rolled his eyes and kept quiet for the rest of the way. Then, the two came to two large doors. Siegfried guessed that this was the throne room. The guard motioned Siegfried with his hand to stand still. Siegfried obeyed. The guard opened one of the large doors and motioned Siegfried that he can come in. Siegfried walked in and the door shut behind him.

The throne room was huge. Hanging from the ceiling was a giant chandelier that was lit. There was a fireplace burning brightly. On the walls were large paintings of knights on horseback and gallant warriors standing boldly. On the floor was a rug that went from the entrance to the front of the throne. That was where the king of the kingdom was.

"Come closer," The king beckoned to Siegfried. Siegfried nodded and walked closer to the throne.

The king was a handsome young man who looked like he was only in his twenties. He had short blonde hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a red undershirt. A perfectly polished breastplate was over it. Leg Armor covered his legs. He gave Siegfried a welcoming smile and rose up from his throne.

"Welcome to the kingdom of Mordivale," The king bellowed. "I am King Althalos. I and all my subjects thank you for coming, Siegfried Schtauffen."

Althalos walked over to him. Siegfried bowed his head, showing respect to the king. He lifted his head up and looked Althalos in the eye. The mighty king was examining him from head to toe.

"You seem like a mighty warrior." There was a short pause. The king clapped his hands and smiled. "You'll be perfect."

"Um...Perfect for what?" Siegfried questioned.

"Oh, didn't the guard who escort you tell you?" Althalos sounded confused.

Siegfried shook his head. "All he did was escort me."

Althalos wrapped an arm around Siegfried's shoulder and escorted him to the balcony. As they were walking, Althalos was explaining the story of the kingdom.

"For almost hundred years, we have been at war with the spirits in the near by forest. My great, great grandfather was king and claimed war with the powerful beings of the forest. Neighboring kingdoms have also helped to get rid of these pesky spirits. But these nuisances don't know how to give up."

They were outside now, overlooking a forest that seemed endless. The sun was just setting over tops of the trees. Siegfried was astonished by the sight of the large forest.

"Is that where the spirits are?" Siegfried asked.

Althalos nodded.

"Why do you need me?"

"We need strong warriors to help our army. You seemed qualified enough. So that's why I sent for you. We need you Siegfried." The king turned to him. "If we don't get rid of the spirits, we'll die. Will you help us or no?"

Siegfried thought about this for a minute. Then Althalos added.

"If you help us, we'll reward you most famously. Enough gold for a lifetime."

Siegfried looked at him. He could do a lot with that much gold.

"Alright...I'll help you in your cause."

The king's face lit up. "Spectacular! Now, we'll-"

Suddenly, someone burst through the doors and walked over to the two on the balcony.

"Sire, we need-"

This man looked very important. He was dressed up knight armor that looked as if it was just polished. A long red cape was following behind his back. His helmet was off. He looked about forty or so and he had graying short brown hair. His eyes were colored a dull blue.

The newcomer looked at Siegfried with a brow raised. "Who is this your highness?"

"Ah...this is one of the warrior recruits," Althalos said to the man. "His name is Siegfried Schtauffen. Siegfried, this is one of our generals in the army."

"How do you do?" The man said with his hand out to Siegfried. "My name is Fendrel."

Siegfried took his hand and shook it. Fendrel's hand gripped firmly and shook it up and down once. then, the general bowed his head.

"Thank you for coming to our kingdom," Fendrel said politely. "We can use all the help we can to get rid of those annoying spirits."

"What have they done to make this kingdom so angry?" Siegfried dared to ask.

Fendrel narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Boy...you should know by now that a spirit can't be trusted."

"Wha-?"

"It was a long time ago, almost one hundred years ago." It was Althalos interrupted. "The kingdom was growing and growing. More people were coming into our walls and we were losing space. The king, or my great-great grandfather, King Adam, decided to go to the forest behind and cut down a few trees to make us more space. He sent twenty men to cut down trees. A patrol went out there to see the progress and he saw a white beast that looked from a folk tale eating the head of one of the men."

Siegfried listened. Horrified as Althalos continued to tell how crudely the spiritual beast attacked the patrol. Luckily, the patrol escaped and was able to warn King Adam of the beast. That was when he claimed war. Just as the story got more interesting, Althalos stopped.

"That's enough story telling," He sighed. "It's about time you go to bed. Tomorrow, you'll learn something from General Fendrel."

"But I-"

"Come on, boy," Fendrel said, interrupting Siegfried. "I'll show you to your room. You have a big day tomorrow."

"Um...okay," Siegfried said, confused more than ever. "Good bye, you highness."

"Good bye, Siegfried," Althalos said back. "We'll see each other soon."

Fendrel and Siegfried bowed their heads to the king, showing their respect, before exiting the throne room. The two walked down the large hallways of the castle. Chandeliers were lit, lighting the hallways and showing the same type of paintings that were in the throne room. They came up to a small door that seemed very far away from the throne room. Fendrel grabbed the doorknob and turned to Siegfried. Siegfried looked into Fendrel's cold blue eyes.

"You'll be staying in the palace since you are a guest from a different place," Fendrel said boldly.

He turned the handle and the door opened. There was a single candle light in the room from what Siegfried could see. He looked back at Fendrel.

"Someone will wake you," Fendrel explained. "Then, you'll have to get ready quickly. We'll meet in at the training barracks outside the castle. There, you will train a little before we send you out to battle."

Siegfried nodded curtly. Fendrel gave him a small smile, but his eyes were still cold.

"Good, I will see you in the morning."

"Alright. Good bye."

Fendrel did not return his farewell. He turned and walked away with his cape floating lightly in the wind. Siegfried rolled his eyes, walked into his room and shut the door behind.

The room was not too big but it was not too small. There was a bed that seemed pretty comfortable from the eye and a desk across from it. But that was it. No windows. No mirrors. Nothing.

Siegfried sighed and walked over to the bed. First, he took his sword that was resting on his back and leaned it against the wall. Then, he took off his armor and got himself into the bed. Thankfully, the bed was comfortable. He laid his head on the pillow and in minutes he was deep into slumber.

* * *

"Hey...Hey kid. Time to get up."

Siegfried woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes and say someone leaning in front of him. It was a woman, dressed in a maid's uniform. Her curly brunette hair was touching his face.

"Come on," She said gently. "General Fendrel will be angry."

She backed away and watched as Siegfried get up. She bowed her head quickly and scurried out of the room. Siegfried slowly bent over and picked up his armor. He lazily out it on and yawned. Then, he got his sword and swung it over his back. As he was becoming more awake, he was becoming excited and couldn't wait till Fendrel taught him.

He had a quick breakfast and went immediately to the training barracks. The barracks were very large and hundreds of soldiers were marching about. He saw General Fendrel talking to someone. Siegfried approached him. He tapped Fendrel on the shoulder and the general turned to face him.

"Ah...hello, Siegfried," The general greeted. "It's great to see you and you're just in time."

"Hello Fendrel, how are-"

"Excuse me...." Fendrel looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "You call me General Fendrel for now on."

"Oh...okay then. What are we going to do today, General Fendrel?"

A sly smile came across Fendrel's lips. "You'll see, soldier...you'll see."

Fendrel walked away and went to the middle of the barracks.

"Soldiers!" He called out. "I summon you all to a meeting!"

Everyone walked in and surrounded the general. Some people were pushing Siegfried just to get to hear the man's words.

"Today....We will learned something that my great-great grandfather taught every soldier who fought against the cursed spirits."

"Hehehe...today, we get to learn the one move," Siegfried heard someone whisper.

"What are we learning?" Siegfried whispered back.

The soldier did not hear him and continued to listen to Fendrel's speech.

"One hundred years ago, a hermit came to the kingdom with a pelt in his hands. That was my great-great grandfather. He showed King Adam and the other kingdoms what he did. The pelt was actually a pelt from a spirit. My great-great grandfather was the first man to ever kill a spirit!"

Every soldier, except for Siegfried, cheered. Do these people hate the spirits that much?

"And from that point on," Fendrel continued. "M great-great grandfather taught every soldier how to kill a spirit. This is what we are learning today."

The soldiers all cheered and raised their weapons in the air. Siegfried stood still and looked around as the people cheered. Fendrel waited till the crowd quieted down.

"I want you to part." With his command, the soldiers parted to the sides. "Bring out the beast!"

Then, two soldiers came out carrying a cage with a cloth over it. Siegfried tried to looked the heads of others and could see little. They removed the cloth. In the cage was a white beast. The beast looked almost like a cat. The white cat was not large, but it was bigger than a house cat. It had what appeared to be a beautiful head dress on its head made of gold, silver and beautiful flowers. The paws of the creature were striped red and flat. The claws were black and very long. The beast's eyes were glowing with hatred and it was snarling viciously at everyone.

Siegfried was surprised by the sight of the spirit, not knowing that it could look so beautiful.

A soldier brought a barrel close to Fendrel and another brought Fendrel a sword. Siegfried couldn't see what was in the barrel. Fendrel took the sword and dipped it into the barrel. He waited a minute and took the sword out. The sword was dripping with purple liquid that stink horribly.

"Watch closely," Fendrel smirked. "Release the beast!"

The soldier near the cage quickly opened the cage and ran away from it. The white beast stormed out of the cage, snarling and growling. Then, it looked at Fendrel, mouth wide open. The general motioned the cat to make a move. The cat shrieked, loud enough to break glass and cause anyone to become deaf, and charged at the man. Fendrel stood still and watch the cat get closer and closer. The white beast lunged at him, claws extending far ahead. As the cat get closer, Fendrel used his sword quickly and stabbed it in the chest. Fendrel backed away and the cat fell onto the ground on it's belly.

It stood up again. The beast seemed fine at first and was about to charge again. But, its muscles started twitch and it began to shake violently. The beasts fell onto the ground and twitch violently. Then, it stopped moving forever. It mouth in a snarl of defiance. The spirit was dead.

The soldiers cheered for Fendrel. Siegfried couldn't believe it. A being, which is immortal, was killed just like that.

Fendrel walked over to the barrel and stood by it.

"Before a battle, dip your weapon into the liquid. This stuff, can kill a spirit if it gets into their body."

Siegfried didn't know such a thing existed.

Siegfried was about to ask a question about the liquid. Someone burst into the barracks, covered in scars and blood dripping onto the ground.

"General!" He panted. "Spirits are attacking!"

"Come on men!" Fendrel called out. "Quickly dip your weapons into the liquid and lets go fight!"

The men yowled and quickly went to the barrel. Siegfried stood where he was. Something was telling him that he shouldn't fight the immortal. But he had no choice. He had to fight the spirits. He went to the barrel when there was an empty space, dip the sword into the purple goop and got ready to fight the spirits that torment to Kingdom of Mordivale.


	2. Protector of the Spirits

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur**

* * *

**Chapter Two: Protector of The Spirits**

A young woman stood on top of a tree that looked over a large radius of the forest. In one hand was a mask. In the other, a sharp blade with inscriptions on the steel.

She tilted head up to sniff the air....A battle was brewing.

She raised her mask and placed it on her face.

"Wretched mortal scum...." She growled out. She raised up her knife and looked at it. She brought a finger up and pressed it against the cold steel. A small trail of blood leaked through and dripped down.

"By the power and the blood that flows through me....I will destroy the humans. Until the day they leave my brothers and sisters alone....this battle will never end."

* * *

Siegfried, following the other soldiers he just trained with only minutes before, to the frontline. They were heading to the notorious north wall; or the Gateway to War, as some call it. The wall had been damaged, by the countless battles against the rulers of the forest. The grass was burnt and dry, as if it hasn't rained in ever. Other soldiers were already out on the main line. Some were on the ground, injured and bleeding badly. Siegfried could hear their moans and groans of pain as doctors placed them on stretchers.

"Keep your eyes out boy," Someone said to him, snapping him out of his daze. He turned around and saw a soldier looking at him. "These spirits like to hide, then strike. So, keep a lookout and keep on your toes."

Siegfried nodded and got his weapon in hand. It reeked of the purple liquid that can kill spirits. Just moments ago, his general, General Fendrel, showed how he killed a spirit. The liquid must have something that can cause spirits a quick, painful death.

Soldiers got to their positions on the main line. Siegfried was ready to fight for the kingdom that hired him. He looked straight on, at the enchanted forest in front of him. Not a single tree or bush moved. Everything was silent.

"Get ready men!" Fendrel called out. "They'll attack soon!"

Every soldier remained focus on the forest. A few good moments passed and nothing happened.

"When the hell will a damn spirit attack?!" One soldier called out. "This is a serious waste of ti-!"

Suddenly, before the soldier even finished his sentence, a giant wooden hand reached out and grabbed him. The men around were toppled over. The man was screaming and was pulled into the forest. Several moments passed.

Then, several tremors that shook the earth violently occurred. Siegfried founded it hard to stand. Something came out of the trees. Siegfried looked up and saw something he couldn't possibly imagine.

It was a giant creature made entirely of wood. It was taller than the tees of the forest. It had long arms. Siegfried squinted and saw something in one of its giant, wooden hands. It was the soldier who was complaining moments ago. He could hear the soldier screaming and whimpering. The giant looked at the man squirming in its hand. He man stopped and looked at the monster. The monster looked at the man. The man began sweating and pleading to the spirit to put him down.

_Snap!_

That was Siegfried heard. A loud snap that frighten everyone on the ground. The creature let go of the man and he dropped hard onto the ground. He lied on the ground, limp and covered in his own blood. The creature squeezed the life out of him and dropped him onto the ground. Siegfried was terrified by the power of the monster.

"Come on men!" He heard Fendrel yell. "Attack!"

Stunned, but still able to listen to orders, the men attacked the creature. They all were slashing the legs of the creature but it only seemed to only leave hardly a scratch. The wooden guardian looked down at the mortals attacking it. Siegfried stopped attacking and looked at the creature's head. A frown was carved into its face but it had no eyes.

"It's a guardian spirit, man!" Fendrel yelled. "Simple attacks like that won't work! Fall back!"

With that command, the men went back to the crumbling wall of the city.

Siegfried was last, and nearly trampled by the other soldiers.

"Get the catapults ready!" Fendrel commanded

"Get the catapults ready," A different soldier repeated.

Several catapults rolled out to the font line. Loaded with a large rock, which seemed to be set on fire it was ready to be aimed at the guardian. The guardian walked towards it, shaking the earth as it took a step. As it got nearer, Siegfried trembled.

'When is he going to fire it?!' Siegfried thought to himself.

As the creature got nearer, Fendrel pointed at it with his rapier.

"Fire!"

Soldiers by the catapults cut the rope holding it back with giant axes. Large flaming boulders went airborne and all hit the wooden guardian. Few hit one of the guardian's massive arms and it fell onto he ground. The ground shook violently as it made contact with the earth. Siegfried could hear the wooden monster groan, as it was hit. The guardian fell backwards and landed hard onto the ground. The land shook badly and Siegfried wouldn't be surprised if the kingdom had turned into rubble. Thankfully, nothing toppled over. The guardian slowly crawled back into the woods.

"What? Did we win the battle?" Someone asked

"I believe so," Fendrel answered.

All the men cheered, all except for Siegfried. He watched the guardian crawl slowly back to its forest home. Completely oblivious until someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on boy!" The soldier said to him. "Celebrate!"

"Will that thing be okay?" Siegfried dared to mutter.

"Who care? We won!"

"But I can't shake the feeling that it will attack us."

"You are a strange one...."

"Nice work men," Fendrel talked over the cheering men. "Let us go back to the kingdom and celebrate!"

The men cheered their agreement and headed back to the kingdom. Siegfried was pushed to get to the kingdom wall.

Suddenly, a howl loud enough to break the sound barrier rang out. The men stood still. Were the spirits not done with them?

Everyone turned around and looked back at the forest. Everything was stationary.

"Stand your ground men," Fendrel said loud enough so that everyone could her. The soldiers took their weapons in hand again.

Then, out of the bushes, a giant white wolf painted in red markings, jumped out of the bushes. It landed nimbly on the ground, growling and snarling at the soldiers. The wolf seemed to be about six feet tall; by the way Siegfried saw it. He squinted his eyes and saw something on its back.

It was a girl, wearing a fox mask over her face to hide her identity. She wore a no sleeve brown leather shit. A quiver, filled with arrows, was on her back. Black hunting boots were over her brown leather pants. On her arms were black furred braces. In one hand, she was holding onto the wolf's neck fur. In the other, was a sharp silver bladed knife that glinted the sun's reflection.

"Are you men afraid of a little girl? Attack her!" Fendrel ordered.

Some of the men charged at the girl and wolf, weapons ready to strike. As the men got nearer, the girl set the knife down onto her lap and a bow appeared in hands. She loaded an arrow on the bow and took aim at the men. She fired at one and got him the neck. He fell onto the ground; killed instantly. Siegfried was shocked by how good her aim was.

The remaining men continued to charge at her and she continued to fire arrows at them. They were able to deflect them. Soon enough, she ran out of arrows. The bow vanished into thin air and she took her knife in hand. The wolf barked mightily and charged at the men. When one was close to the wolf's mighty jaw, the wolf, being a creature that towers over the soldiers, clamped onto their head with its mouth and bit down hard onto the man's skull. Crushing it, the wolf would toss it around, like it was playing, then threw the dead soldier into the woods. The girl, when a soldier near, would simply slash the soldier's throat with her knife and move on to the next. Everyone was horrified at how the duo mercilessly killed the soldiers.

After toying with the few men, they looked at the rest. Siegfried could see the blood dripping from the wolf's mouth and watched it lick its lips slowly.

Several silent moments passed before Fendrel yelled, "Retreat!"

The soldiers quickly, and still scared, ran back to the kingdom. Siegfried was scared stiff. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He saw the white wolf charge at him. He knew that he was finished. The girl jumped off the wolf and ran at him, knife in hand and ready to strike. He closed his eyes, ready to meet Death.

Suddenly, he felt a blunt force hit him and everything went dark.


	3. Prisoner to the Spirits

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Prisoner to the Spirits**

Siegfried opened his eyes slowly, completely lost in a daze. He had no idea what happened after the battle against the spirits and he felt like he had been asleep for a year. But he knew that he wasn't back at the castle, where he is suppose to rest.

Instead, he found himself lying on some hay in a large cavern. Water was dripping from the top onto his face. He tried to get up, but found himself stuck. He looked to his right and spotted a shackle around his wrist on a chain connected to the hard rock floor. He sat up, rubbing his head with his free hand.

"What's going on?" He asked himself groggily. "My head is pounding and I have no idea where I am." The confused knight raised his voice. "Hello? Somebody help!"

"Will you pipe down!?" A voice snapped. "You humans can be so annoying its not even funny."

Siegfried snapped his head to the voice of the direction. It seemed to come from the mouth of the cave. He realized that he was on the bottom floor of the cave.

He looked but he saw no one. Then he felt a hard tap on his shoulder. He quickly turned around and what he saw shocked him. It was the girl in the fox mask who attacked him yesterday. She had on the same outfit as before, but she had her knife on her belt.

"Um…who are you?" Siegfried dared to ask.

"Mind your own business," She retorted.

It didn't take Siegfried time think that this girl was hot tempered. Even with the mask on, he could sense her glaring evilly at him.

The girl walked to the front of him and stood next to the stairs that led up to the cave's mouth. She moved the mask up, so her mouth was visible. She did a quick whistle.

Siegfried cocked his head, confused by what the girl was doing. Suddenly, he saw a figure walk to her side. It was the large white wolf with red marking from yesterday's battle. From the top of the cave, a beautiful eagle, with a snow white head and golden body hovered down to the ground. The eagle was larger than any bird Siegfried has seen. Even in the cave's little light, the golden body glistened.

Another creature was a dragon with a long winding body, as if it was a snake with four legs. It mane, that stretched from its forehead to its tail, was colored red. The two long whiskers, located next to the nose on both sides, was colored black. Its powerful red eyes gazed at Siegfried; half amused, half focused.

Another creature joined from leaping from the cave's mouth to the others next to it. It was a tiger, with beautiful snow-white fur and blue stripes. The tiger's eyes glistened brightly and were carefully focused on Siegfried. One thing unusual about the tiger was its very long tail.

The last creature to join was a horse. The creature walked slowly down the stairs. It fur was colored black and its mane was the same color too. The horse, Siegfried guessed, was probably the oldest of the creatures, but didn't want to show its elderly age. Its deep brown eyes gazed at Siegfried intently, but more focused then the other creatures.

"Siegfried Schtuffen," The girl began speaking, sounding authoritative. "You have been caught by us and have become our prisoner of war. Until the day the humans leave us alone, you will remain here. If you do try to escape, either I or the guardians here-" She moved her hand in front of the creatures. "-Will hunt you down and kill you without mercy."

Siegfried shuttered. The girl smirked and pulled off her mask. Siegfried gazed in shock at how beautiful such a spiteful person could be. Her face looked only about the same age a girl his age would be. Her red eyes sparkled in the cave's light. She had on red paint over her eyes and on her lips. She lowered her hands to her side.

"I…" She began. "Ookami…Protector of the Spirits, vow to protect every last spirit until the day my soul moves on."

Siegfried bit his lip and narrowed his eyes. How dare this girl hold him against his will?

Ookami looked at the wolf and nodded her head. The wolf stepped back and picked something up with its massive jaws. It turned to Siegfried and walked to him. In its mouth was a rabbit. The wolf dropped it in front of Siegfried. Siegfried looked up at the wolf. Its red eyes closed and it bowed its head before stepping back to its spot.

"Well?" Ookami said tapping her foot. "Aren't you going to be polite and show some manners?"

"Um…thanks," Siegfried muttered.

He slowly picked up the rabbit and took a cautionary bite, just in case if it was poison or contaminated.

"Don't worry…We wouldn't poison you. Just eat the rabbit."

Siegfried took more bites out of the rabbit. The girl and her creatures watched him as he ate. Siegfried would feel uncomfortable about all the attention, but he was hungry and continued to eat. When he was full, the girl stepped over to him.

"Since you will be staying here for a while, I guess I can introduce you to the guardians who will keep an eye on you when I'm not here."

The wolf took a step forward. "This is Teranika." Teranika bowed its head before going back to its spot.

The eagle jumped over to stand in front of the group. "This is Kallias." Kallias flared out its beautiful wings and flew back to its spot. The next to walk out was the dragon.

"This is Morag." The dragon dipped its head in greeting and backed up to its position. The tiger trotted to the front. Siegfried guessed that one was probably the youngest of the guardians.

"This is Sappho." Sappho trotted over to Siegfried and sniffed his head. She sneezed and let out a small trill before trotting back to her spot in the group. The group parted and let the horse walk through. The horse walked slowly till it was in front of Siegfried.

"This is Delano, the elder of the guardians." The horse stood still, longer than the other guardians, and gazed at Siegfried. Siegfried looked back at the horse. The horse bowed its head and walked away.

"As I said before, I am Ookami," The girl said as she went back to the center. "Now, since you are our prisoner, let us give you some rules. You must always listen to either me or the other guardians. Never listen to other forces besides us. We will feed you three times a day and we will give you water when you need it. You will be allowed out of the cave, but I must accompany you. Those are easy rules, right?"

Siegfried hesitated before nodding his head. Ookami smiled and walked away up the steps.

"I will return shortly," She said as she walked up the steps. "Don't cause any trouble."

"Wait, where are you going?" Siegfried called out.

"I'll return at least before nightfall," She said calmly as she slipped her fox mask on. "The guardians will watch you while I'm gone."

"But wait, I-"

But he missed her. The girl slipped out of there quickly and disappeared. Siegfried sighed and lay down. He rest his head on the hay and closed his eyes. Then, he heard something step over to him. He ignored it and shut his eyes tighter. A massive paw was on his chest and his eyes shot open. He saw Sappho and jumped in surprise.

The tiger purred. "Gee…master was right. You humans are weird!"

"I'm not! -Hey…who said that?"

"I did!" Siegfried looked at Sappho.

"Are you sure? Last time I check, animals don't talk."

"Well, I'm no animal dummy!" Sappho growled. Siegfried could tell her voice was a young adult female voice, indicating that she was pretty young for a spirit.

Sappho sat down and licked her paws. Siegfried was speechless; something that wasn't human can actually speak!

"Sappho! Quiet down!" Another voice called out. This one was also a woman's voice, but it sounded older than Sappho's voice.

"Oh, Teranika. Can you at least try to be social?" Sappho called out.

The white wolf waked out of the shadows and growled at Sappho. "There's only one spot for being the annoying one and that's you."

Sappho pinned her ears at Teranika. Siegfried was now even more confused. Can all the guardians here talk?

"Teranika, Sappho…must you always argue?" A different voice called out. This one sounded like a adult man's voice.

The dragon, Morag steps out of his little cave with the cavern and looks at the two arguing guardians.

"Morag, Teranika started it. I was just bugging the human."

"Sappho, you know that you shouldn't do that," A voice called out. This one was a woman's, about the same as Teranika, but more calmer.

The golden eagle, Kallias, flew down to the ground from her little cave in the cavern's ceiling. Kallias landed perfectly on the ground, her golden wings sparkling.

"Why can't you two just get along?" Kallias asked, her golden eyes looking intently at the wolf and tiger.

"Because Teranika is no fun!" Sappho whined.

"Humph…I know fun," Teranika growled.

"Um…excuse me." Siegfried said shyly.

The four guardians looked at him.

"Yes…what is it?" Kallias tilted her head.

"Spit it out, human," Teranika said coldly.

"So…you can all talk?" Siegfried asked quietly.

"Yes we can," Morag answered. "We usually don't talk to humans. But since you are here, we can, I guess."

Sappho pricks her ears and purrs. "We usually only talk to Mistress Ookami or just argue with each other."

"Mistress…Ookami?" Siegfried repeated.

"You know, the person who brought you here as a prisoner?" Sappho said, interrupting her purring momentarily. "Don't worry, she'll get nicer once you get to know her."

Siegfried sighed, guessing that the tiger was probably lying.

Then, he saw the elderly horse guardian walk out of the shadows. His deep drown were shining with amusement.

"Merry meet to you all," Delano said politely. His voice was older than all the others. He walked slowly over to Siegfried and sniffed him. Siegfried could tell that the old horse was very wise and must've been very strong when he was younger.

"You are a most unusual boy," Delano said quietly. "And…I sense a great power from you. But I still question…why did Mistress Ookami bring you as prisoner? Surely, she could've easily kidnapped the king of that wretched kingdom."

The horse was right. If she could defeat an entire army with only herself and a guardian, she could without a doubt easily kidnap the king of an entire kingdom. Delano walked back.

"Come guardians," He said. "We must have a meeting."

The dark horse walked into the shadows. Morag, Kallias, and Teranika followed after him. Sappho stayed and looked at Siegfried.

"We'll be back shortly," She meowed. "Don't cause any trouble."

Siegfried nodded curtly and the tiger smirked at him. Sappho turned, hitting Siegfried with her long tail, and ran into the shadows. Now, Siegfried was alone. He punched ground, angry that he, a person like him, was supposed to be taken care by a girl and her "pets".

He laid his head down onto his hay bedding and closed his eyes, drifting off into a slumber that he hoped would never end.


	4. Getting To Know You

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur.**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Getting to Know You.**

The sun was just sinking under the horizon. The great battlefield, where countless battles between human and spirit were fought, was littered with bodies of soliders killed in action. Ones who made it out of the battle alive left and going to clean and identify the following morning.

From the forest, came a white nine tailed fox. The fox was taller than it should be; ranging to about six feet in height. On its face was a mask, a purple line painted below and above the eyes. A red circle was painted on the cheek, simulating a blush. Eye holes revealed the beast's red eyes. Each of the fox's tails were long and looked as if they could reach half-way up an average sized adult tree.

The fox trotted over to one of the bodies on the battlefield. It lowered its head and sniffed a soliders lifeless body. Underneath the mask, a satisfied snarl came across its lips.

The mighty fox lifted its head to the sky and let out a powerful howl. Then, the sun disappeared and the crescent moon appeared in the sky. With that, the fox shook its pelt and ran back to the forest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Pale sunlight entered the cave and shone on Siegfried's face. He opened his eyes and was nearly blinded by the sun's light. He quickly closed his closed his eyes and moved away from the light. He opened his eyes and looked about the cavern he was held captive in. Every once in a while, a breeze will come into the cave and the cavern would create a moaning sound. None of the guardians were up. No traces showed that Ookami returned.

Siegfried sighed and laid back down on his hay bed. He closed his eyes and went into a light slumber.

Then, he felt a cold hand touch his shoulder. His eyes flew open and turned to see who was touching him. It was his captor, Ookami. Her red eyes glowed in the darkness of the cave. Her long, red hair even shimmered. Her eyes sparkled but no smile was on her face.

"Come on," She said briskly. "You're going hunting with me."

Siegfried narrowed his eyes. "Why should I?"

The girl glared at him. "Because I said so."

Ookami crawled to the place where his shackle chain met the cavern floor. Siegfried watched in awe as she effortlessly pulled the chain out of the rock. The rock floor was not even scratched by her action. He looked at her, eyes wide.

"How did you do that?" He asked Ookami.

The girl just looked at him and stood up. The chain was in her hands.

"Get up and follow me," Ookami ordered.

Siegfried obeyed and stood up wearily, for he hasn't been active for at least two days. He got his balance and the girl narrowed her eyes. She turned her back and began walking. Siegfried followed her. As he walked through the cave, he could see the animal guardians sleeping undisturbed in their tiny caves. Teranika, the hot-tempered wolf, was curled up in a ball. She looked peaceful now, but Siegfried knows that the wolf would be her normal angry self very soon. Morag, the powerful dragon, was sleeping in his cavern not far from Ternaika's. His long neck was arched while the rest of his body lay on the ground. Kallias, the kind golden eagle, was sleeping in the cavern that was in the ceiling. She was posed elegantly in her nest of moss, twigs and leaves. On the opposite side of the cave from Teranika and Morag's dens, the dark horse Delano was laying on the floor of his cavern. In the den next to him, Sappho, the hyperactive tiger, was sprawled out on the floor. Siegfried could here the young tiger snoring very loudly. The captured knight was surprised that Teranika wasn't wakened by Sappho's loud snoring.

Then, Ookami jerked his chain, forcing him out of his thought. The girl had a scowl on her face.

"Well? Are you going to make it up the stairs or do I have to carry you?" Ookami growled.

"I'm going," Siegfried said, returning the same look and tone.

Ookami snorted and walked up the stairs. She nearly dragged him up the stairs. Sunlight flooded the cavern's mouth. Siegfried, since his eyes were so used to being in a dark cave, winced at the sight of the light. He stood next to Ookami, a hand over his eyes. He turned his head to look at her.

In the sunlight, Siegfried was suprised by how beautiful she was. The sun's light made her red locks shine vibrantly. Her eyes twinked as she looked at the forest, focused. Her pale skin looked even lighter. Siegfried blushed at the sight of his captor. Even though he despised her because she took him as prisoner, he couldn't help but admire her beauty.

Ookami turned to look at him.

"Um...are you ready?"

Siegfried didn't answer, he just mumbled something that no one could understand. Ookami chuckled. She yanked the chain lightly and Siegfried came out of his delusion.

"Uh...what?"

"Come on, lets get a move on!" Ookami said.

Siegfried nodded slowly and Ookami walked on. Siegfried followed her as she walked into the forest. The morning birds were singing lovely tunes. Butterflies, with colorful wing patterns Siegfried has never seen before, floated around flowers. Ookami walked on quietly. A rabbit ran in front of her and she didn't even so much as stop or notice. Siegfried stopped and looked at her a brow raised. When Ookami felt the chain tighten, she stopped and turned around to look at him.

"Aren't you going to kill that rabbit?" Siegfried asked. "I thought we were hunting."

Ookami cocked her head, then her eyes widened and sparkled with understanding.

"Oh! I only said that so you would come with me. I brought you out here because I wanted to chat with you."

Siegfried narrowed his eyes. "A chat? Why should I talk to you?!"

Ookami sighed and walked closer to him.

"Look...." She started out softly. "I know we got off on a bad start. All I want t do is get to know you."

"Yeah right!" Siegfried snapped. "You're probably going to kill me when you get the chance!"

"If I did want to kill you, I would've done it by now," Ookami pointed out.

Siegfried couldn't argue with that. If she did want him dead she would've done it already.

Ookami smiled warmly and held out her hand. Siegfried could see fangs in her smile.

"My name is Ookami," She said warmly. "What is your name?"

Siegfried looked at her hand. He slowly reached for and took her hand. Her hand was cold. He gripped her hand and shook it quickly.

"Siegfried Schtauffen," Siegfried said quietly.

Ookami took her hand back. "Nice to meet. So, where are you from? Are you from anywhere near here?"

Siegfried shook his head. "I'm from a place very far from here."

Ookami nodded her head. "I see...how old are you?"

"I'm eighteen. How old are you?"

"Same age as you."

Ookami continued to ask him question ranging from 'Who was your first love' to 'What is your favorite food.'

When Siegfried tried to ask her a question, she would give a simple answer and switch the topic. By the end of the session, Ookami had enough information about Siegfried to write a book about him. Siegfried, on the other hand, had only about a page length, if that.

On the way back to the cavern, Siegfried asked the question on why the girl captured him.

"Ookami...why did you capture me?" Siegfried asked.

Ookami stopped walking and looked at the ground.

"Hey, Ookami. Why?....Why did you capture me?"

Ookami turned to face him. A breeze blew.

"Sometimes..." Ookami started. "You are taken and brought to a place you don't want to be. One....you will learn."

Ookami turned and started walking. Siegfried followed, angry that he didn't get the answer he wanted. The two made it back to the cavern, silent the rest of the way and the rest of the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Nighttime fallen on the forest of spirits. Everyone in the cavern was sleeping. Ookami was sleeping in her den, a wolf pelt over her body. She had been sleeping peacefully all night...so far.

The waxing crescent moon was high in the sky. Ookami sat up and began coughing and gasping violently. The girl threw the pelt off her and she tried to stand, but couldn't. She continued coughing violently. The animal guardians were awake now and poked their heads out of their dens. They watched Ookami crawl out of her den and crawl up the stairs; still coughing and gasping badly. The guardians quickly scrambled out of their dens and went to their master. She was leaning on the wall of the cavern's mouth. Ookami took a deep gasp. Her eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground. All her guardians gasped and stood around her. She was still breathing; she only fainted.

The guardians helped get Ookami onto Teranika's back and brought her to her den. Thankfully, Siegfried wasn't waken by the ordeal. Morag and Sappho gently set Ookami back onto her hay bed and placed the pelt over her. Sappho's blue eyes were filled with fear.

"Will she be okay?" She asked nervously.

"I don't know," Kallias answered. Her brown showed her nervousness for her master.

Then, Ookami started to violently cough again. Kallias placed a wing over her master;s mouth. Ookami coughed for a minute, but that minute seemed more like five minutes.

When she finished, Kallias withdrew her wing. She looked at the golden feathers and saw a crimson spot on it. It felt sticky and smelt like blood. The others saw the red spot and exchanged worried glances.

"No..." Sappho said in disbelief. "She can't be...That's impossible..."

"Mistress...." Teranika whispered; bowing her head so no one could she her eyes which were beginning to flood with sadness.

"Delano," Morag said to the elderly horse. "Will Mistress Ookami be okay?"

"I...I don't know," Delano admitted. "Only time will tell, I guess...Kallias, go wash off the blood on your wing and anywhere else blood is. And, everyone, do not tell the boy of what just transpired."

Sappho looked at Siegfried and then at her master, who was sleeping normally and taking shallow, slow breaths.

"Oh Mistress....." the tiger whimpered.


	5. Crying Wolf

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Crying Wolf**

Siegfried was lying on the forest floor in the Forest of Spirits. He opened his emerald eyes and saw that he was surrounded by lush green trees that seemed as if they touched the sky. Everything was silent. Siegfried looked up at the sky. There was a full moon out and no stars were around it or in the sky at all. Siegfried was confused.

_'But...it was only the crescent moon a few days ago...'_

Siegfried stood up. He wasn't shackled to the floor in the cavern. He must have been freed!

But something didn't feel right. Ookami wouldn't have just left him alone in the forest. Even Siegfried, who was only in the forest a short time, knows that the Forest of Spirits is a very dangerous place.

Siegfried looked around for Ookami or maybe Sappho, Teranika or the other guardians..

Suddenly, he heard the loud cry that seemed to come from a woman. He, knowing that he should come to the aid of a woman in distress, ran in the direction of the cry. In no time at all, he was in the middle of a clearing that was surrounded by the trees.

Siegfried looked to his right side. He saw two people. The shadows were to dark so he couldn't see the details of either person. But he could see that one of them was holding something in their arms. The other person seemed to be shielding the one who was holding something.

He looked to the left. There he saw a large nine-tailed fox that towered over him. Each of its nine tails seemed to stretched to at least half way up the tree behind it. On the beast's head was a beautiful head dress. Colorful feathers and beautiful gems were on the golden frame in a breath taking fashion. Red rings were around each of the fox's ankles. A white aura was emitted from the fox's body. The fox had a snarl on its face.

The people and the fox seemed to be having a conversation with each other, for they hadn't even noticed Siegfried, who was inbetween them. Siegfried couldn't understand the dialouge between them. It sounded mumbled and in a completely different language.

Then, the fox charged at Siegfried. Siegfried tried to yell something, but nothing came out. The fox ran, actually ran through Siegfried. He didn't even feel a thing. He turned around saw the one person holding something drop the thing on the ground and flee with the other person. The fox slid to a sudden stop in front of the bundle. It lowered its large head and sniffed the bundle. The fox did something Siegfried couldn't see. Then, it turned around with the bundle in its jaws. It turned out to be a baby in a blanket.

"No you beast!" Siegfried yelled. "Leave the child alone!"

But the fox couldn't hear him. The beautiful creature just walked elegantly through the clearing, passed Siegfried, who was still unnoticed and into the bushes.

Siegfried was bewildered beyond comprehension. Why couldn't the people or the fox see him? Was he dead?

Then, he felt a rough jab to his side and a familiar voice.

"Hey Sieggy! Wake up!"

Siegfried opened his eyes and quickly sat up. He was back on his bed of hay in the turned to see Sappho right next to him. Her blue eyes were glowing with concern.

"You were yelling your sleep," Sappho told him. "Are you alright?"

Siegfried took a few breaths and nodded his head. "Just had a nightmare...that's all."

Sappho took a sigh of relief.

"Stupid human....waking me up in a middle of a good dream," growled a different voice.

That voice came from Teranika, the short tempered wolf spirit. She was just walking out of her den, her white hair messy. The wolf walked over to the rocky stairs that led to the cavern's mouth.

"Its about time you got up," Sappho said teasingly.

"Oh, shut up you stupid furball...." Teranika growled as she exited the cavern.

Siegfried yawned and looked around the cave. It was surprisingly quiet.

"Where are the others?" He asked Sappho as she sat down and began to clean herself.

"Well..." Sappho said as she licked her chest fur. "Teranika probably went to go get something to eat. Kallias and Morag are probably helping Delano get herbs."

"Where is Ookami?" Siegfried asked. He didn't care about where are the other guardians.

Sappho stopped licking her paw and looked at Siegfried. "Um...she's hunting. Why?"

Siegfried took a heavy sigh. Sappho tilted her head and squinted her eyes. Then, a mischievous sparkle came to her blue eyes. Siegfried didn't notice it. The tiger began purring. Siegfried looked at Sappho, who had stopped purring when he looked at her.

It has been over a week since Siegfried first came to the cave as a prisoner of war. But over the week, he and his captors began getting better acquainted. Now, he was treated like one of the group, besides the fact that he had to remain shackled to the floor. When Ookami was at the cavern during the day, the two would usually talk or play a game. When Ookami was gone for whatever reason, he and the guardians would usually talk or he would help them out with tasks.

For each of the animal guardians, he noticed that each had their own distinct personality. Kallias, the beautiful golden eagle, was very kind and motherly to him from the start. Siegfried, whenever he has something that's bothering him, he would always tell Kallias because she didn't judge him for being a human. Morag, the dragon, was a strong dragon that had as nice as Kallias. Even though he could get angry, Siegfried liked the dragon's inner strength. Delano, the elderly horse, was a very wise beast. He was by far one of the smartest creatures he has ever met in his life. Sappho, the blue striped tiger, was an outgoing hyperactive tiger. Her bright personality could put a a smile on Siegfried's face, even if he was angry or sad.

But Teranika was a different story. While all the other guardians trusted him, Teranika made it apparent that she didn't trust him. The wolf spirit would often growl at him and glare at him with as much hate as she could muster up.

When Sappho finished cleaning herself, Siegfried looked at her.

"Hey Sappho....do you know how I can get Teranika to stop hating me?" Siegfried asked.

Sappho looked at him with huge eyes. "Teranika doesn't hate you....she just doesn't trust you."

"But how can I get her to trust me?"

Sappho looked at the cave's ceiling, trying to think. Several moments passed before she said anything.

"Well...you can try talking to her," Sappho suggested. "But I don't know how far you'll get with that."

That'll do, Siegfried thought. It might work. If he could just win Teranika's trust, then maybe she'll stop being mean to him.

"Do tonight," Sappho continued. "On the night of the half moon, Teranika will sit on the roof of the cavern and look at the moon. There you can talk to her!"

Siegfried nodded. Okay then....Tonight, he'll make peace with the wolf spirit.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Day had turn into night. Ookami still hasn't returned today from hunting so Kallias and Morag went to look for her and make sure she was okay. Sappho released the shackle on Siegfried's wrist.

"Mind you," Sappho whispered. "Don't do anything stupid or Teranika will have your head."

Siegfried nodded and walked up the stairs to the cavern mouth. The half moon was in the sky, bright stars twinkled around it in the endless dark sky. Siegfried walked around to the side of the side of the cavern and saw something on top of the cavern.

It was Teranika. She was sitting proudly as she looked up at the moon. Her white fur would dance in the occasional soft breeze. Siegfried slowly and quietly climbed up the rocky cavern sides. Teranika seemed to not have noticed. He got to the top with no problem.

"I know you're there, human," Teranika growled. Siegfried saw her ears go back.

Siegfried striaghtened his back and stood tall. "May I sit next to you?" He dared to ask.

"I guess so...." Teranika muttered coldly.

Siegfried exhaled his breath and walked over to Teranika's side. He sat down on the rock next to her.

"So...what are you doing?" Siegfried asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Looking at the moon. What does it look like?" Teranika answered coldly. She looked at him. "What do you want?"

Siegfried looked over at the white wolf. "I want to know why you don't trust me. Why?"

Teranika let out a cold laugh. "Because, humans are nothing but garbage on this beautiful planet. Just because my master and the other guardians like you doesn't mean that I have to."

Siegfried felt takened back. How dare this wolf talk to him like this? He wanted to hit the wolf but something kept him from doing that.

"I have nothing left....Mistress Ookami took me in and gave me a home. All that matters to me is my master's happiness!" Teranika snarled. Then, her red eyes widened, as if she said something she didn't want to say.

Siegfried looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. "What happened to you, poor creature?" He asked.

Teranika sighed, feeling as if she was found out. "A long time ago...humans attacked and killed my parents. I was still a pup then. I had no one...absolutely no one. Then, Mistress Ookami found me and brought me home. That's when...I felt wanted and loved again. I vowed that I would protect her, even if I risk my own life."

Siegfried couldn't believe it. Teranika, the hot tempered wolf, had such a lonely pup-hood. Parents were murdered and all she had left was Ookami. Siegfried looked at the wolf, who looked as if she was about to cry. He lunged at the wolf and wrapped his arms around her neck. Teranika tensed up at first but after a while, her tension loosened and she rested her head on the boy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry..." Siegfried whispered.

"It's not your fault..." Teranika whispered back. "I should be the one who is sorry."

He pulled back and looked into the wolf's red eyes.

"I shouldn't have been such a jerk to you," Teranika continued. There seemed to be a small gleam of happiness in her eyes. She bowed her head and Siegfried bowed his head in return. "Come on....lets go back to the cave."

Siegfried smiled and nodded. Teranika stood up and told the boy to get onto her back. Siegfried at first didn't know is he should or not, but Teranika insisted. He jumped onto the large wolf's back and grabbed hold of some of her fur. It was soft to the touch. Then, the wolf jumped down from the roof of the cavern and landed on the ground. Siegfried jumped off of her back and patted the wolf gently. Teranika smirked at him before walking into the cavern.

Siegfried smiled, feeling as if he accomplished something great. Now...he had gain the wolf spirit's trust. A trust given only to the very lucky. Siegfried felt his heart flutter in his chest as he walked into the cavern.


	6. True Emotions

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur**

* * *

**Chapter Six: True Emotions**

Siegfried was running blindly through the forest of spirits. He felt like something was chasing him, or maybe even someone. He kept running until he came to a dead end. Trees, very close together, blocked him from going any further. He turned around and saw that trees blocked him from going that way as well. Siegfried looked all around him for a way out but only saw trees that were planted close together. He was trapped like a caged animal. He looked up at the sky. Clouds parted and the full moon was overhead. There were no stars in the sky and the air felt heavy. Everything, except for being trapped by trees, was just like the dream he had just a few nights ago.

Then, the trees in front of him parted. Siegfried saw this as the perfect escape for him. He tried to dash for the newly made exit but his legs wouldn't move from the ground. He tried to lift up a leg but it still wouldn't move. He felt as if his feet were glued to the ground. Then, he heard footsteps. He looked up at the opening. Something was coming.

A nine-tailed fox, wearing a beautiful head dress of feathers, gold and jewels was making its way to the circle. Siegfried looked into the red eyes of the beast. That's when he realized who this creature was. It was the beast who frightened the two shady people and took their baby.

"Greetings," The fox said warmly. The fox's voice proved that the creature was female. "I've been expecting you, Siegfried Schuttfen."

Siegfried glared at the fox. "How do you know my name?" He said through gritted teeth.

"I know many things," The fox said as she went to lay down on the forest floor. "I know your name. Your age. Your parents. The creatures who have entered my forest an-"

"Your forest?" Siegfried repeated, cutting the white fox. He looked at the nine-tailed beast with a brow raised. "Who are you?"

"My name is Keita," The fox answered, lifting her head.. "Queen of Alana, or as you humans call it the Forest of Spirits."

"Queen? When you robbed those people of their child you didn't seem much like a queen!" Siegfried shot back.

Keita didn't seemed to be offended by Siegfried's words. Instead, her red eyes twinkled with amusement.

"Young human," She said calmly. "That child grew up to be a wonderful warrior. Do you know her?"

Siegfried hesitated and thought about it for a moment. The only human, or seemed human, he met so far was Ookami. "No...I don't think so."

Keita let out a laugh. Siegfried noticed that she and the forest were beginning to fade away.

"Keita!" He yelled as she began to disappear.

"Don't worry, Siegfried. We'll meet again soon." Keita answered, as if she had no idea that she was disappearing.

Siegfried wanted to run, wanted to save the Forest Queen, but his feet were still stuck to the ground. He shouted Keita's name one last time. The forest and the fox had now vanished and Siegfried was left floating in a black abyss. There was no forest. No Keita. Just him.

Then, he heard a evil laugh that sounded familiar. It sounded like the commander of the Mordivale army, Fendrel.

"Fendrel? Is that you?" Siegfried called out. But there was no answer, just the continued evil laughter.

The scent of blooded came to his nose. Siegfried covered his nose but couldn't see any blood.

Siegfried's eyes flew open and he found that he was back in the safety of the cavern. Siegfried took a sigh of relief.

What was up with that dream. Why was he talking to the queen of the forest and then he found himself in a dark abyss that reeked of blood?

The young knight sat up and rubbed his head with his right hand. That was unusual. The right hand was supposed to be on the shackle but it was off. He searched through the hay, looking for the shackled, but he couldn't find it.

"Weird without it on, huh?" A voice called out. Siegfried turned around and saw Delano poking his head out of his den.

Siegfried stood up and staggered over to the dark horse.

"Ookami took it off last night," Delano explained. "She felt like you didn't need to be on a leash if someone was here."

Siegfried looked at his wrist. He was thinking of Ookami. Her long red hair. Her red eyes. Her sweet scent...

"Do you mind helping me sort some herbs?" Delano asked, breaking Siegfried out of his thought.

Siegfried simply nodded. The horse, who was colored black but had a red tint to the fur, turned around and walked into his den. Siegfried followed the horse into his den.

Delano's den let off a scent that was almost heavenly. While the horse just slept on moss and leaves, Delano had a large bookshelf in his room. Shelves were covered with jars and boxes that Siegfried suggested that they were filled with herbs.

Delano went over to his bed and flopped down onto it. "Curse these old bones of mine...." Delano growled. He looked up at Siegfried with his deep brown eyes. "Alright, I want you to get some little leaf root and peppermint extract. It'll say which is which on the container."

Siegfried nodded and looked through the shelves. He found the peppermint extract in a jar.

"Good...I want you to pull out two leaves from there, place them on one of those canopy leaves and bring it to me."

Siegfried un did the top of the jar. As he opened it, the strong scent of peppermint flooded his nostrils and he sneezed. He covered his nose with his free hand and took out two leaves. He closed the container and placed it back onto the shelf. A large green leaf was on a wooden chair and Siegfried thought that was the canopy leaf Delano needed. He went over, picked up the giant leaf and brought it over to Delano. He set the canopy leaf in front of the elderly horse and then put the two peppermint leaves onto the giant leaf.

"Thank you," Delano said as he bowed his head gratefully.

"Hey Delano," Siegfried said as he went back over to the shelf."Do you where everyone else is?"

"They all are hunting," Delano answered as he was chewing up one of the leaves.

"Oh..." Siegfried answered as he searched through the containers for the little leaf root.

"Do you care about Mistress Ookami?" Delano asked expectantly as he began chewing the next leaf.

Siegfried turned his head to looked at the dark horse, almost knocking off some of the jars. His face had a shocked expression.

"What?!"

"Do you care about Mistress Ookami?" Delano repeated looking deep into Siegfried's green eyes.

Siegfried remained quiet. Of course he cared about Ookami. But even he knew there were boundaries between them. She was a spirit dweller and he was a human. The laws of nature say that they could never have a life with each other. When he would die, she would still be alive. Beside, he was sure that she doesn't like him as much as he like her.

But....was Siegfried willing to break the laws and tell Ookami how much he cared about her?

"You do care about her...." Delano said quietly.

"Did you just read my thoughts?" Siegfried asked.

"Yes, a little bit. But I can tell easily. You are taking a long time just to answer."

Siegfried looked at the ground. Delano was right. Maybe he did care too much about her.

"I saw go for it, boy," Delano said out of no where.

"What?"

"Go after her. Ookami probably feels the same about you too."

Siegfried smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Delano."

"No problem. Now get that little leaf root before the paste dries out."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ookami was sitting on Teranika's back as they ventured through the forest. Morag and Kallias were flying in the air and Sappho leapt from tree to tree.

"Do you think Siegfried will be alright without the shackle on?" Ookami asked Teranika.

"I'm sure he will be," Teranika answered cheerfully. "He's a strong boy."

After her talk with Siegfried, Teranika seemed to be a lot more cheerful. Ookami was happy at how Siegfried was able to break through her isolating wall and get to see the true Teranika.

Suddenly, Ookami felt light-headed. She placed a hand on her head. Sappho noticed Ookami's sudden change in behavior and jumped to the ground.

"Teranika, please stop," Sappho said. "Ookami doesn't look so good."

Teranika stopped and laid down on the ground. That's when Ookami began coughing violently. Kallias and Morag landed and went over to Teranika.

"What? She was just fine a little while ago," Teranika said, cinfusion in her red eyes.

"Not this again," Kallias said shaking her head. "Someone! Get some water!"

Sappho and Morag nodded and ran away. Teranika and Kallias stayed with Ookami, as she continued to cough and gasp violently.

Now...a force, much darker and much more devasting than the war, taking its grasp on the she warrior.


	7. Kiss Under the Great Willow

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur**

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**Chapter Seven: Kiss Under the Great Willow**

Siegfried woke up in his bed when he first came to the Kingdom of Mordrivale. He had to admit that the bed was a lot more comfortable than sleeping on the floor in the cavern where he was held captive for almost three weeks. But him being there felt odd. Surely, it was nice sleeping in a real bed and all but things just didn't seem right. Why was he there? He was sleeping peacefully on his hay bed in Ookami's cavern just an hour ago.

He got out of his bed and put on his armor. Once he finished, he exited his room and walked down the lifeless hallways to the throne room. He must talk with Althalos, the ruler of Mordrivale. Siegfried was sure that the king would want to hear about his experience with the girl and her animal spirits. He also wanted to tell the king that the spirits were not bad; they were just trying to protect their home. As Siegfried made his way to the throne room, he felt odd. He was guessing that since he hasn't been around other humans for a while he was still getting us to them.

He stood in front of the throne room's doors. He froze up right when he was reaching for the door's handle. This doesn't feel right, Siegfried thought. He gulped down the spit in the back of his throat and took the handle into his hand. Siegfried pulled the door, thus opening it. When he entered the room, he saw two things that shocked him.

The first thing was that it wasn't Althalos in the throne. The new face in the throne was the commander of the army, Fendrel.

The second thing shocked and scared him more than the first thing ever would. It was his beloved, Ookami, on her knees with a chain around her neck looking at the floor. Her clothes were ripped and she was bleeding from several cuts on her body. When Siegfried gasped her name, she looked up at him. Her red eyes were dull and swollen, as if she was crying.

"Siegfried..." She could barely say. "Go...back..."

"Ookami!" He cried out. Siegfried began running towards the injured girl. Then, chains shot up from the ground and wrapped around his arms. He couldn't move anymore.

Fendrel had a content smirk on his face. "Well....look who decided to join us."

"Bastard!" Siegfried lashed out. The young knight was glaring at Fendrel with all the hate in his body. "Where is Althalos? What are you doing in his throne?"

"Typical boy," Fendrel said shaking his head. "I wouldn't be worried about him. I'd be more worried about her."

Fendrel looked down at Ookami. With strong hands, he brought her to her feet. She let out a small yelping noise as he did that. Fendrel wrapped his arms around her. Ookami was too injured and tired to defend herself. Siegfried was furious and struggling to get free of his shackles.

"If you hurt her, I will kill you!" Siegfried spat.

Fendrel let out a cold laugh and placed his hand on Ookami's head. With the hand, he was combing through her red locks. Siegfried could see how tense and afraid Ookami looked.

"I would never hurt your little friend here. She's far too cute for me to do that to her.

"Leave her alone!"

"Oh...does this make you angry?" Fendrel asked. He pulled Ookami closer and brought her cheek up to his lips. Siegfried was about to lose his mind. How dare he hurt his beloved like this?!

Then, Fendrel began licking her face. Siegfried struggled more to break free and save Ookami. Ookami winced and was whimpering as Fendrel licked her face.

"Ookami!" Siegfried called out.

Siegfried's eyes shot open and he quickly sat up. He was shaking and sweating. His breathing was fast.

"Siegfried," He heard a gentle voice call out. "Are you alright?"

Siegfried turned around and saw the forest queen, Keita staring at him. The fox was on her belly and her nine tails were curled elegantly in front of her paws. Her white pelt glowed in the cave, making the cavern brighter. Siegfried was happy to be surrounded by her sweet scent.

"Yeah...I fine," he answered.

Keita cocked her head. "You don't seem like it. You had a nightmare. Please tell me."

Siegfried sighed and told the fox about the dream. At the end, Keita let out a sigh. "That's a scary one, that's for sure."

"You have no idea..." Siegfried added grimly.

Keita looked at him with her red eyes. "You must really care about Ookami."

Siegfried looked at her with wide eyes. "You tried to save her in your dream, no?" she continued. "Do you...love her?"

Siegfried hesitated. It was true...he loved Ookami more than anything. He stood up and looked deeply into the fox's eyes. "Yes...I love her more than anything."

A smile came across the fox's lips. "I knew it. I couldn't ask for a better person to love my daughter."

"Daughter?"

"Yes. Ookami is my daughter. Although she looks nothing like me, she is my daughter."

Siegfried couldn't believe it. Ookami's mother was the queen of the forest, or Alana. But that would also mean that she is a princess. Siegfried suddenly felt disappointment stab his heart. There was no way now that she would love him.  
Keita got up and head butted him gently in the chest.

"Go to her, boy," She said quietly. "Wake up Teranika and head to the Great Willow along the river. Every full moon since my death, she has ventured there. Go now!"

Siegfried looked at the fox and bowed his head respectfully. Keita began to vanish; the light was growing dim.

"Good luck, Siegfried," Keita said.

Then, she was gone, but her scent still lingered in the air. Siegfried nodded and went to Teranika's den. He stood in her den's mouth. The wolf was curled into a ball, sleeping peacefully.

Siegfried walked cautiously over to her and touched Teranika's back. The wolf slowly brought her head up and looked at Siegfried with droopy eyes.

"Oh...Siegfried," She yawned. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine," Siegfried answered. "Is it okay if you can bring me to the Great Willow tree along the river?"

Teranika looked at him suspiciously. Then, her eyes widened in understanding and stood up. Her shook the moss out of her and she trotted out of the cave. Siegfried smiled and went after her.

The two went to the cavern's mouth. The full moon was out, making everything brighter than it usually was. Siegfried jumped onto the wolf's back. Then, once Teranika knew he was settled on her back, she began her run to the Great Willow.  
Siegfried was use to riding on the back of a horse, but being on the back of a wolf was different. Teranika's run was very smooth and not choppy at all. Siegfried held onto the wolf's white fur.

In no time at all, the wolf came to the river. Teranika followed the river up until she saw where Siegfried wanted to go. Siegfried looked over the wolf's head and his jaw dropped. In front of him, several yards away, was a huge weeping willow tree on an island in the middle of the river. On the branches of the tree were candles. The candles were lit, lighting up the interior of the tree. Siegfried could see a figure inside the tree, moving about. He jumped off of Teranika and thanked her.

"Mind you," She said. "Don't do any dumb. I'll leave a path for you to get back."

"Alright, thank you."

Teranika nodded her head and ran back into the forest. Siegfried looked at the Great Willow and walked to the water's edge. He walked into the water and swam to the little island the giant tree was on. The roots were huge and extended out into the water. As Siegfried got closer, he could here some singing coming from inside the tree's hanging leaves. Siegfried crawled onto a root and tried to find Ookami. Then he found her, sitting on a root singing a song.

Siegfried was hypnotized by her lovely voice. He was also thankful to see her uninjured and her usual self.

In his own world, he walked closer to her. When he was close to her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, her eyes wide. Then, her expressions soften.

"Oh, hello Siegfried," She said politely. "Are you okay?"

"Yes I am. Are you busy?"

"No I'm not. Please have a seat next to me."

She moved over on the root, giving Siegfried some room. He smiled at her and sat next to her.

"So...why are you here," Siegfried asked, even though he already knew the answer why.

"Because, I'm honoring my mother's spirit," She answered. She tilted her head to the sky. "This was my mother's favorite spot. Every full moon, she would come here and rejuvenate and purify the land. When she died a few years ago, I've been coming here. Even though I can't purify the land, I still continue my mother's task. It was also her dying wish that the forest be just the way she left it."

So that's why this place is so beautiful, Siegfried thought. It was because of Keita's love for home and nature this place was able to stand.

"Your mother must've been a powerful spirit," Siegfried muttered.

"She was...." Ookami sighed. "I wish I had the power to protect this place, just like she did."

Siegfried placed a hand on her shoulder and looked at her. She looked back at him.

"I'm sure you are just as powerful as your mother," He reassured her.

She placed a hand over his hand that was on her and smiled. Her hand was cold.

"Thank you Siegfried," She said to him. She took his hand off her shoulder and placed it on her lap. Siegfried blushed as she traced the lines on his hand with her finger. "Your hands are big."

Siegfried took his hand back and looked at her. She chuckled at his reaction.

Siegfried looked at her and smiled.

"Um...Ookami," Siegfried began. "There is something I want to say to you."

"Yes…what is it?" Ookami asked, cocking her head to the side.

Siegfried scooted closer to her and looked into her red eyes. Oh, how they glow in the candle's light. Siegfried was nervous, his palms shaking and sweating. Thankfully, Ookami didn't notice and just looked at him.

"H-have you ever cared about someone…so much t-that you are willing to give your life for them?" He asked. Every word he said felt shaky and hard to say to the striking spirit.

Siegfried looked away from her. Ookami's eyes widened as her cheeks turned pink. Was this human…saying he loves a spirit? Wasn't that against the rules of nature?

Ookami smiled at Siegfried and placed a hand on his hand. Siegfried looked up at her.

"Yes…I have felt that way about a person before," Ookami answered. "The man I love and if willing to give my immortal life for is a strong, powerful man who is kind, devoted and caring.

Siegfried felt his heart sank. He knew that she was probably talking about someone else.

"And that person…" Ookami brought her face closer to his and she lowered it to a soft whisper. "Is you…"

Siegfried's eyes grew wide and he backed his face away from the girl's.

"M-me?" Siegfried asked, his voice quivering.

Ookami smiled at him and nodded her head. "You may be a human, and this may be against the laws of nature…but I…I love you!"

Siegfried felt his heart flutter in his chest. She actually loves him!

The young knight took the girl's hand into his own and they brought their faces closer to each other. Siegfried was taking in her sweet scent and her calming breath.

Then, their lips came in contact. Siegfried wrapped his arms around her; one around her waist, the other running through her soft red hair. Ookami's arms were around Siegfried's neck. Their tongues met and began doing the forbidden dance of human and spirit coming together. Siegfried could hear Ookami's soft moans. The young knight's hand traced down her spine to her lower back as the other continued to move through her hair. Ookami's soft hands went to touch his face.

The kiss seemed to last forever. It didn't matter now. The two seemed fine if it did last that long.

Then, the two parted, breathing heavily and looking deep into each other's eyes. Siegfried felt warm and calm as he gazed into Ookami's red eyes. Ookami felt happy and energized as she looked into Siegfried's emerald green eyes. A small smile came on both of their lips. Ookami pulled herself closer to Siegfried and embraced him. She felt warm now, instead of cold.

Siegfried looked straight ahead and saw Keita, a content smile on her face. Her sweet scent intertwined with Ookami's. Siegfried smiled back at the fox.

"Take good care of her, Siegfried," She said gently. Siegfried blinked and the fox was gone.

Ookami pulled back and she kissed Siegfried on the cheek.

"Come on…let's go home."

Siegfried nodded and the two stood up. They walked over to the water and swam to the other side. After they dried off, the two lovers, human and spirit, walked hand in hand back to the cavern.


	8. Dying Sparrow

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur.**

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**Chapter Eight: Dying Sparrow**

Ookami opened her eyes slowly the morning after the full moon. She rolled the wolf pelt off of her and turned to Siegfried. They decided to share a den with each other the night before. He was sleeping peacefully and breathing quietly. She smiled softly and went down to kiss his forehead. He didn't move and continued to sleep.

The she-warrior stood up and stretched. She placed the wolf pelt over her beloved and exited her den. She walked up the stone steps of the cavern to the mouth of the cave. She looked at the sun. Hardly a cloud in sight. She grinned and walked out of the cave.

"What a beautiful morning," She yawned as she walked through the dew-covered grass. The trees were green and the leaves were growing large. The birds were already chirping and the butterflies were moving about the flowers of the forest. This was the forest her mother, the great queen Keita, knew before her death.

Ookami chuckled as a small leaf blew past her and tickled her nose. Then, she froze up. She looked up at the sky, her eyes wide. She took a large gasp and began coughing violently, the way she has been the past few times. This hasn't happened in a while, why was it acting up again?

Ookami continued to cough and gasp. She staggered over to a tree and leaned against that. She placed a hand on her throat and one over her mouth. The girl then felt someone warm come out of her mouth. She opened her eyes and looked at what came out of her mouth. It was blood…

"No…" Ookami said breathlessly, shaking her head in disbelief. "This…this can't be…"

She took another gasp and began coughing again. But when she was finished this time, her eyes rolled and she fell onto the forest floor, a stream of blood coming from her mouth.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Where is she," Sappho said, pacing about the cavern. "Usually at this time she is catching more fresh kill."

"Maybe today's the day when you get off of your lazy butt and catch it yourself," Teranika said as she batted piece of hay with her tail.

"Yeah, you seem to be losing your fighting form," Morag added jokingly.

Sappho rolled her eyes at the dragon's comment.

"But Sappho does have a point," Kallias said. "Mistress Ookami usually is back by now."

"Is the human still sleeping?" Morag asked.

"Yes," Kallias said. "He must've had a busy night with the mistress last night."

Sappho let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure he did…"

Delano, the elderly horse, walked out of his den. He shook his pelt, getting all the moss and hay off of his dark body. He yawned and walked up the steps.

"I need to go fetch some herbs," Delano said, still half-asleep. "Do any of you care to join me?"

"I will," Sappho said eagerly. "It's so boring here without Siegfried up."

"I guess I will too," Teranika said getting up. "Someone needs to keep an eye on Sappho."

Sappho narrowed her eyes at Teranika.

"Will you keep watch for Ookami?" Morag asked. "She wasn't in her den."

Delano nodded. "Of course."

"Have fun!" Kallias said cheerfully. "Don't do anything stupid."

"Will do," Delano said, bowing his head. He walked up the stone steps. Teranika and Sappho followed after him. "Take care!"

"May the spirit of Keita be with you!" Morag called after them as the trio exited the cavern.

Delano leaded the way as they walked through the forest. The sun was a little bit higher and clouds were growing thickly and quickly around it. Delano lifted his head and sniffed the air.

"We're going to have a rain pretty soon," He muttered. "We better do this and find Ookami quickly."

"Can't Teranika just sniff out Mistress Ookami's path?" Sappho asked. "She has the best sense of smell and she can probably find her that way."

Teranika lifted her head proudly after Sappho's surprisingly nice comment. Delano nodded his head.

"Yes, she could do that," He answered. He looked at the wolf spirit. "Teranika, can you sniff out Ookami's path?"

Teranika dipped her head. "Yes, I can."

"Good. Finding the mistress will be our first priority. Along the way, we can get herbs."

Teranika walked past Delano with her nose in the air, sniffing the air for her master. Her ears moved around her head, picking up any sound that may help. Then, the wolf's ears perked forward and she looked at her comrades.

"This way!"

Teranika bolted straight forward. Delano and Sappho followed after the wolf. Even for his age, the horse could still keep pace with his younger companions.

The trio ran through the forest, leaping over fallen trees and bushes. At the base of a tree, there was a body, lying still. Teranika stopped in front of the body. Delano and Sappho stopped behind her. The body's back was facing them. Teranika used her muzzle to turn the body onto its back. Then, the animal spirits eyes widened when they found out who it was. It was Ookami.

A streak of blood came from her mouth. Delano pushed Teranika back and sniffed his master. He turned his head to look at the wolf and tiger. His deep brown eyes were filled with worry.

"Sappho, go get Kallias and Morag," Delano instructed the tiger. "If Siegfried is up, put a sleeping spell on him. You know the herbs you need to use for that."

"Y-yes sir," Sappho said, her voice shaking. She turned tail and ran back the way they came.

Delano turned his head to Teranika. "Go get Aideen. He is in his den not too far from here. Do it quickly!"

Teranika nodded curtly and ran deeper into the woods. Delano turned his head back to Ookami. She was breathing, barely.

"Ookami…please wait a little longer," He whispered to her as he placed his soft nose on her shoulder.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sappho had returned with Kallias and Morag not long after Delano sent Sappho out to get them. Rain had begun to fall very hard from the sky. Thankfully, the tree's giant leaves sheltered them from the rain. The four animal spirits were around Ookami's body, trying to keep her still body warm. Teranika still hadn't return with Aideen yet.

"What is taking her so long?" Delano growled. "I know Aideen's den is far, but not that far."

"Just give her a few minutes," Kallias said gently.

"We don't really have a few minutes, Kallias," Delano said.

Then, they heard Teranika's howl. She was near now. The spirits looked straight ahead and saw the white wolf. Behind her was an equally large deer with, instead of the standard two antlers that branch out, a lot of antlers that just stood up straight. He had a proud looking face with a light green streak and two light pink streaks around it that went up the middle of his face.

"That's Aideen?!" Sappho said, astonished by the sight of the legendary healer of the forest. Unlike the other guardians, she has never seen Aideen before.

"Yes…that is," Morag answered.

Aideen was probably the best healer of Alana. He was over 2,000 years old and known for his wisdom about the past. He was the one who also taught Delano about herbs and which were the best for whatever illness.

Teranika stopped in front of guardians and Aideen stood next to her. The four bowed their heads respectfully to the stag.

"Greetings Aideen," Delano greeted softly.

"Greetings Delano and other guardians," Aideen greeted back. His voice was raspy from his old age. He looked past the group and saw Ookami. "Is she the one I'm here for?"

"Yes…" Teranika said, bowing her head respectfully.

"Let me take a look at her," Aideen said as walked towards Ookami. The group parted and moved away, letting the healer do his work.

Seconds past. Soon enough, minutes past and then ten minutes. The rain was not letting up. All the animals could do was wait for what Aideen has to say.

Then, the healer lifted his head and called for the five animals. They could all see the sweat on his brown pelt and the disappointment in his green eyes.

"Everyone…Mistress Ookami is…dying," Aideen said, sorrow in his voice. "The spirit inside of her…it is deteriorating her body and soul."

Everyone's eyes became flooded with sadness as the word "dying" came out of the stag's mouth. Teranika, the normally headstrong wolf, along with Sappho, let out a yowl of anguish. Morag and Kallias were next to each other, shaking their heads in disbelief. Delano walked up to Aideen.

"Is there anything we could do?" He asked, his voice rasping badly.

"You can give her herbs…but that'll only help when she is actually dying," Aideen said.

"How long does she have?" Kallias asked.

"I don't know…but not very long," Aideen said. He looked at Ookami. "She was a noble girl to take up Keita's dying daughter's spirit. But now…it looks like that choice is costing her her life…"

Delano sighed and looked at Aideen. "Thank you. Your wisdom is greatly appreciated."

"It is no problem, Delano," Aideen answered. "I'm sorry I cannot do much more."

"It is alright," Delano said. "I will see you later."

"Merry part," Aideen said as he left. He walked into the rain and went deeper into the forest. The five animal spirits watched the healer walk away before they said anything else.

"Should we tell her when she gets up?" Morag asked.

Delano shook his head. "She mustn't know…And don't tell the boy either. It will be best if they don't know."

"Ookami…" Sappho sighed as she placed her head on Ookami's stomach. "Please…don't leave us. Not now."

"But when the day comes…we'll be by your side," Teranika said softly.

As the five went to their master, the rain continued to pour. But that didn't matter, when they walk Ookami back, it will hide the tears.


	9. Off To War

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Soul Calibur characters.**

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**Chapter Nine: Off to War**

Siegfried rose from his shared bed with Ookami one ordinary morning. He looked down at his beloved. She was still sleeping. Siegfried chuckled at how cute she looked with the wolf pelt wrapped tightly around her. He crouched down and patted her softly on the head. Ookami didn't stir and continued to sleep.

Siegfried walked out of her den and stretched his arms. He looked around the cavern and saw Kallias and Morag talking to each other. The rest of the animal spirits must've been sleeping still.

Since the first time he came to the cavern, Siegfried always speculated that the dragon and eagle had a thing for each other. But he never dared to question it. They might be just really close friends.

Then, he heard a loud yawn and turned his head. It was Teranika standing in the mouth of her den. She sat down and scratched her ear with a hind paw. When she finished, she lay down and began washing her paw with her tongue.

Kallias hopped over to Siegfried.

"Good morning," She said in her usual nice tone. "Did you sleep well?"

Siegfried turned to face the golden bird and smiled. "Yes I did. Thank you."

She bowed her head respectfully. Morag walked up to her side.

"We should be the ones thanking you," Morag said. "Ookami's never been this happy in long time."

"Yeah," That was Teranika's voice. "The last time Mistress Ookami was this happy was when Sappho got tangled in some vines and couldn't get out. The stupid fur ball was ranting on and on about 'why is it always her that's stuck'."

Teranika let out a laugh. That was when, from Sappho's den, came a sphere of glowing water straight at Teranika. Teranika, who continued to lick her paw, whapped the sphere with her tail back at Sappho. Sappho walked out of her den and hit the sphere with her tail, slashing it in half. Teranika looked at Sappho and smirked.

"Nice try," Teranika said smugly. "But it'll take a lot more than that to hit me with your water sphere."

Sappho glared at Teranika. "Hey! It's a lot cooler than your earth shaker attack!"

"Earth shaker?" Siegfried repeated.

Morag cleared his throat. "Each of us has our own unique element that we can control. Sappho controls water and Teranika controls earth."

"I can control wind and Morag can control fire," Kallias finished for him.

Siegfried looked at Delano's den. "What does Delano control?"

"He can use all four elements," Teranika said. "Only a few spirits has the ability to control all four."

"Delano is not as weak as you think," Sappho said. "He may be old, but he by far one of the wisest and strongest spirits in Alana."

"What up with the commotion?" Someone asked.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Ookami standing in the mouth of her den. She was picking the hay out of her red locks.

"Good morning Ookami," Everyone muttered. She replied with a simple nod and she walked over to Siegfried.

"So what were you guys talking about?" She asked.

"We were just explaining to the boy about the elements we can control," Kallias answered.

Ookami nodded. "I see…"

Sappho ran out of her and den and to Ookami, her blue eyes flaring with excitement. "So what are we going to do today?"

"Well…Delano doesn't need any herbs and the kill pile is high. I think today is just a lazy day," Ookami said with a smile on her face as she patted Sappho on the head.

Sappho let out a trill of excitement and began jumping up and down. Then, she jumped onto Siegfried's lap.

"Come on! Let's play Moonlight Lily," She purred to Siegfried. "Then we can have a mock battle!"

"Um…last time I check, I didn't get my weapon back," Siegfried pointed out. "Remember, the first day I came here you guys confiscated it from me."

Ookami's eyes brightened up. "I have a present for you."

Ookami got up and walked to her den. A few moments later, she came back with a Zweihänder in her hands. She handed it to Siegfried. It looked a lot different than the weapon he came here with. In the steel blade were inscriptions in red that Siegfried could not make out. The handle was black instead of brown.

Ookami smiled. "The other guardians and me made it for you. We named it Oidhche, which means "night". Do you like it?"

Siegfried didn't know what to say. He was stunned by the how beautiful the weapon looked first of all. He was also thankful for the fact that Ookami and her companions made this weapon for him.

The other guardians gathered near, with smiles on their faces.

"We embedded some magic into the blade and the inscriptions are ancient magic that are guaranteed to protect you in any battle," Kallias said.

Siegfried dropped the weapon and hugged the guardians into a group hug. They all yelped slightly at first and then smiled.

"We're glad you like it," Ookami said for the group.

Tears rolled down Siegfried's face. They weren't tears of sorrow or grief, but tears of joy. Joy for that his friends, who seemed to be foes at first, came together and gave him a gift he would never forget.

He let go of the embrace and then he got a thought. The spirits were never bad. It was humans who entered their territory first and they had to attack because they wanted to protect their home. That's why they were fighting this war! Siegfried knew that he should talk to Althalos and tell him to stop fighting against the spirits. This war has and always was pointless.

As the guardians went away, Siegfried asked Ookami if he could have a word with her. They went to her den.

"So…what is it you want to talk about?" She asked.

"D-Do you think we can visit the king in Mordrivale?" Siegfried asked, worried about what she might say.

Ookami's eyes widened in fear. "What? Do you hate it here?"

"No. I love it here and I love being with you but…I need to talk to the king. To end this pointless war. Maybe then-"

Then, a loud yowl that seemed to shake the forest interrupted Siegfried. The two looked outside and walked into the main cavern. There they saw Aideen, the great forest healer with the body of a deer, bleeding severely from cuts on his body. Delano quickly trekked up the stairs and let the deer lean on him.

"Get some bedding down for him," Delano instructed.

Sappho and Morag scrambled to get moss and hay down for him. Teranika walked up the stairs to help Delano get Aideen down. Ookami quickly got a container of water. Teranika helped Aideen, when he got to the bedding, onto his side. Ookami returned with some water and tried to put some water into his mouth.

"Please…."Aideen rasped. "Don't help…me."

"Who did this to you?" Ookami asked.

"Fe…Fen…" Aideen said, hardly being able to say his words.

"Fendrel?" Siegfried asked.

"Yes...him."

"Who's Fendrel?" Ookami asked.

"He is the commander of the army," Siegfried explained. "He must've attacked him."

Teranika growled. "Cursed humans…I'll go and rip his head off!"

"Ookami, what should we do?" Morag asked.

Ookami stood up and her eyes narrowed. "We fight…"

She went into her den and got her fox mask and her dagger. Siegfried cocked his head. Was she going to ask him t go with her?

She exited the den with the fox mask over her face.

"Teranika and Siegfried…you are coming with me," She said. "The rest of you will help heal Aideen."

Everyone nodded, except for Siegfried. Ookami is bringing out to battle on the spirit side he is supposed to be fighting for the human side.

Ookami looked at him and grabbed his arm.

"Don't worry about it," Ookami reassured him. "I know you're fighting against the people who hired you, but we need you."

Siegfried nodded and took the new weapon Ookami and the others made for him. He nodded his head and his expression hardened.

"Lets go," Siegfried said.

The three walked up the stone steps of the cavern to the mouth. Ookami jumped onto Teranika's back first, then helped Siegfried up. He wrapped his arms around Ookami's waist. Ookami turned her back to the cavern.

"Aideen, please be alive when we get back," She muttered. She looked forward. "Go Teranika."

Teranika nodded and ran as fast as she could along a narrow path through the woods. Siegfried held on tightly as the wolf ran as fast as she could through the forest.

It was only moments later when smoke flooded Siegfried's nostrils. The war zone was very near.

"Brace yourself boy," Teranika said as she jumped over a fallen tree. "The war zone on the spirit side is very different than fighting on the human side."

"Take advantages of nature around you," Ookami said. "Asset to the situation. Ah…can you see the battle field now?"

Siegfried squinted his eyes. He saw the dry, brown grass of the battlefield and the catapults along the great wall that protected the human kingdom of Mordrivale.

"Yes, I can," Siegfried answered.

"Good," Ookami said. "Hang on! Teranika's going to jump over the bush."

Siegfried wrapped his arms around her waist as the wolf jumped over the bush and onto the battlefield.

Siegfried looked at the battlefield. It was not different at all when he was captured and token prisoner by Ookami. Bodies of humans were on the dead grass, either dead or injured. There were several spirit bodies on the ground as well. The catapults were loaded and ready to be fired at the spirits.

On the spirit side, several cat-like and dog-like spirits were fighting human soldiers. Dragon and Griffin spirits took to the air, grabbing humans in their claws and then dropping them onto the ground. A giant stone spirit that was taller than a tree was also in the fight.

But all that didn't matter to Siegfried. All he wanted to see was Fendrel. Siegfried examined the area, and then he saw Fendrel, sitting on the back of a horse near a catapult.

"The coward," Teranika growled. "He had the decency to stab the great healer of the spirits but he doesn't hit the others. Oh, how I want to taste his blood."

"Just wait a little," Ookami said calmly to the wolf.

Then, Fendrel looked up and saw the infamous wolf and girl. A smirk came across his face.

"My soldiers! Come back!" Fendrel commanded.

The soldiers obeyed and went to their commander, leaving the spirits they were fighting were they were.

Teranika walked forward to the middle of the battlefield. Siegfried could feel how tense both girl and wolf were as they went to the middle.

"Well…if it isn't the great protector of the spirits," Fendrel bellowed. "Mistress Ookami, I believe."

"And you're Fendrel, I assume," Ookami spoke out.

Fendrel chuckled. "You and your pesky spirit friends are going to lose in the end. You know that?"

"We will never learn the outcome of the battle till the end," Ookami said calmly.

"Bastard!" Teranika snarled. "You attacked our healer, Aideen! Have you the decency to not assault a healer?!"

"Teranika…please be quiet," Ookami told the wolf.

Fendrel laughed coldly. Then, he spotted Siegfried. "Well, we finally found you, Siegfried. But it looks like you took the side of the wretched spirits."

"They are not wretched, Fendrel!" Siegfried yelled. "The spirits are just protecting their home!"

"Lies!" Fendrel lashed out. "The spirits are on this earth to destroy us all!" Fendrel pulled out his sword and raised it into the air. "Attack! Leave the two and the wolf to me!"

At that instant, the soldiers charged at the spirits once again. Teranika did a battle howl and the spirits charged at the humans. Teranika snarled at some soldiers that were in her way and smacked them away with her tail. Ookami was stabbing enemies with her dagger. Siegfried slashed away at the people who Ookami and Teranika missed.

Then, the soldiers parted as Fendrel charged at Teranika and the others. He was riding a horse at full speed. The beast trampled some poor souls as it made his way.

Teranika turned to face the horse and snarled viciously at the horse. The horse was frightened by Teranika's sharp fangs and reared up. Fendrel held on and kicked the horse. The horse went down and walked to cautiously to the wolf and its riders.

"Meet you in hell, spirit!" Fendrel snarled as he tried to stab Ookami.

Siegfried blocked Ookami with Oidhche. When Siegfried removed the sword barrier in front of Ookami, the she-warrior cut Fendrel's left eye with her dagger. Fendrel bared his teeth and groaned as he covered his injured eye. Teranika let out a growl of approval and ran away from Fendrel.

Siegfried watched Fendrel kick his horse into a gallop and went back to his post by the catapult.

"Is he giving up already?" Teranika said. "Boy! He's softer than you were, Siegfried!"

Siegfried rolled his eyes at Teranika's comment. But the wolf did make a good point. Why was Fendrel giving up already?

"Soldiers! Retreat!" Fendrel yelled out.

Soldiers retreated and stood next to their commander.

"I think he is giving up," Ookami said, astonished by the commanders softness.

"You never know with Fendrel," Siegfried added.

Then, the catapults rolled up onto the battlefield, pulled by oxen. Siegfried and Teranika's eyes widened.

"What the hell?" Teranika growled. "Are they going to fire at us?"

The oxen stopped pulling and the catapult faced the spirit army.

"I think they are…" Siegfried muttered.

"Fire!" Fendrel yelled.

The soldiers by the rope that keeps the rock in the basket grabbed a large axe and slashed the rope, sending the rocks falling into the air at the spirits.

"Run!" Ookami yelled.

But before any spirit could react, large boulders landed in front of them. As Teranika was about to run, a giant boulder crashed in front of her, startling her at first. Then, the wolf spirit shook her head and ran to the left.

"Fire!" Siegfried heard Fendrel yell, as another group of boulder were launch into the air.

A boulder headed straight towards Teranika and her riders. That was when the wolf's tail began to glow green. Teranika swung her hind legs around and the boulder was smashed into a million pieces by her tail.

"Nice," Siegfried commented.

"Thanks. But we need to get the hell away from here."

But just as Teranika was about to run again, an unseen boulder went flying towards them. The boulder landed only a few feet away from the wolf. Its impact sent earth into the air and Teranika. Teranika also got struck and her riders went flying into different direction. Ookami landed on the ground hard, her head hitting a rock as she landed. She went unconscious.

Siegfried's eyes widened as he tried to dash to Ookami.

"Ookami!" He yelled.

Then, something blocked his way. He looked up and saw Fendrel. Blood stained his face and Siegfried could see and evil smirk on his face.

"Say "hi" to the devil for me!" Fendrel snarled as his swords handle hit Siegfried on the head.

Siegfried's mind suddenly went black and he fell to the dry earth.

"Ookami…" He murmured before going cold.


	10. Her Past Revealed

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur.

Chapter 10: Her Past Revealed

Siegfried felt cold and damp when he awoke from his blackout. He opened his green eyes slowly. He was in a stone chamber with the only light source was a torch outside of a barred gate. The atmosphere reeked of mold and the only sound was from a leak through the stone ceiling. It didn't take him long to find out that he was in a dungeon.

He staggered to the bars of his cell and shook it.

"Hey! Let me out of here! I need to save Ookami!" He yelled as he shook the gate.

Then, a fist came through the bars and struck Siegfried in the face. The young man fell onto his butt. He placed a hand on his face and looked up at the figure that assaulted him. It was a man, about his height and age. He was wearing armor and he had a ring of keys in his hand.

"Shut up!" The guard snapped. "Don't have a fit, your girlfriend is in there with you. And for your wolf friend, its somewhere far from you guys. It's probably going to be executed soon."

Siegfried's eyes widened. 'No…not Teranika.' Siegfried thought to himself.

"Commander Fendrel will be here soon," The guard said as he went back to his chair next to the cell.

"Whatever…" Siegfried answered.

He slowly stood up and walked to back of the cave. What's the point? Fendrel will probably kill him and Ookami along with Teranika.

As he walked to the darkness, he stepped on something. He looked down and saw a tail. Was it Teranika? Did she hide in the cell with him?

But he looked closely. The tail wasn't colored pure white, Teranika's fur color. The color was more of an off-white color. He picked up the tail and followed it to the body. The fur was as soft as Teranika's, but felt different, in a way. He reached the head and felt something hard, kind of like a mask. Siegfried picked up the head and brought it to the light, where he could get a better look.

In the light, he could see the features better. The animal had mask on. The mask had eyeholes cut out for the eyes. On the top and bottom of the eyehole, was red paint, simulating make-up. Red circles that represented blush was on the mask were the cheek was. Then he realized whose mask it was. It was Ookami's mask.

Siegfried shook his head in disbelief. "No…my Ookami can't be an animal."

The animal was passed out, resting her head on Siegfried lap.

"Siegfried…I have something to tell you," A voice came out.

Suddenly, Siegfried wasn't in the cave anymore. He was in the part of Alana were he first met Keita, the nine tailed queen of the forest. The only difference was that the creature's head was still on his lap.

He looked at the animal on him more extensively. It was indeed an off-white colored fox with nine tails. Red rings were around the fox's ankles. The fox was on her side, her chest raising and falling slowly as she breathed. Then, Keita's sweet scent surrounded him as she appeared in a bright flash of light. Keita's fur glowed and she bowed her head in greetings. Siegfried looked at the fox, his green eyes flooding with nervousness. Was the fox on his lap really his beloved?

"I-Is this Ookami?" He said as best as he could without crying.

Keita looked at the fox and then back at Siegfried. The forest queen's eyes were filled with the same sadness as Siegfried's.

"Yes…it is her," She said softly.

"You mean…she's actually a fox?" Siegfried asked.

"Well…the actual story began long ago, when Ookami was a baby. The truth is…she isn't my blood daughter."

Siegfried's eyes widened as the fox paused. She took a breath and continued. "It was eighteen years ago, two humans were exploring my forest. I heard about them and went to confront them. I spotted them and told them to leave the forest immediately or I would kill them. The woman had a bundle in her hands. The man told her to leave the bundle. So, she dropped the bundle and made a run for it with her husband. I walked over to the bundle, curious to what they left behind. It turned out to be a baby girl. I picked up the baby and brought her back to my den."

Siegfried then remembered that dream. It was exactly as she explained but he didn't know who the baby was. Now he knew who it was. It was Ookami.

"So…that means she isn't a spirit?" Siegfried asked.

"I'm not done with my story yet," Keita muttered. "I raised the child with my child, a nine-tailed fox named Airlia. Despite being different species, the two grew up peacefully and protective of each other. I was happy because they were happy. Then…something happened six years ago."

Keita's voice became lower and she began flexing her claws at the ground. "Ookami was twelve years old. Ookami and Airlia were patrolling the forest by the battlefield and a human ambushed them. The two were able to protect themselves but…" Keita had problems speaking out whatever she was about to say. A tear rolled down her cheek. "Airlia…got stabbed in the chest…"

Siegfried's eyes widened and flooded with sympathy. "Was the blade of the sword covered with purple goop?"

Keita nodded. "That liquid is designed to kill spirits. Ookami was stabbed, but it didn't affect her. Airlia was also stabbed, but since she was a spirit, it ended up killing her. But Ookami didn't want her to leave. So…she decided to take in Airlia's soul into her body. Airlia agreed and then, Ookami had two souls in her body, the one of her sister and her own. Usually, humans would die if they did that. But Ookami's soul was strong and she didn't. Since taking up Airlia's soul, she had the ability to turn into a nine-tailed fox.

Siegfried looked at the fox, his eyes were beginning to flare with anger, thinking that Keita was lying and made her take up Airlia's soul.

"You probably made Ookami take up Airlia's soul!" Siegfried lashed out. He stroked Ookami's neck.

"I beg your pardon?" Keita asked.

"You know full well! You probably wanted Ookami because you knew that Airlia might die and you needed her as a host for her soul."

"Silence!" Keita shouted, curling her lips into a furious snarl. "I didn't want Ookami to die. It was her parents' fault that they abandoned her! And Ookami also took Airlia's soul on her own accord. She loved her sister that much that she wanted her soul to live on through her!"

Siegfried then started to understand. Ookami just wanted to keep her sister alive. Keita's snarl went away, but her body was still tense.

"After my death," Keita said, her voice becoming calm again. "Ookami vowed to protect the forest, using her own power and the nine-tailed form given by Airlia."

Siegfried looked at Ookami. She was stilled knocked out. Then, her body turned into her human state again. He looked back at Keita.

"What would happen if she was stabbed by a sword with the purple liquid on it?" Siegfried asked.

Keita looked down at the ground and shook her head. "I don't know."

"Keita…" Siegfried muttered and the fox looked up. "I'm…sorry."

"I forgive Siegfried," Keita said as a smile came across her. "But…I want you to promise me this."

"What is it?" Siegfried asked with concern in his voice.

"I want you to promise me that you'll protect and love Ookami, through the thick and thin. Whatever may happen…you will still care for each other."

Siegfried smiled and bowed his head. "I promise."

"Thank you," Keita said as she and the forest began to disappear.

Siegfried brought Ookami up to his chest and held her tightly. "I promise, Keita…" He murmured.

The forest and Keita were gone and he was back in the dungeon with Ookami. He looked down at her and he noticed that she was beginning to stir. She opened her red eyes slowly and Siegfried smiled at her.

"Siegfried?" She asked softly.

"Yes…its me," He whispered.

She looked around. "Where are we?"

"We're in the Mordrivale dungeon," Siegfried said to her.

"Is Teranika here with us?"

Siegfried hesitated and then shook his head. Ookami's eyes went wide.

"Where is she?"

"I…I don't know," Siegfried answered.

Ookami stood up, she staggered at first but then straightened up. She walked over to the bars and shook the bars. Siegfried stood up and went to stand next to her. She turned her head to look at him and saw the fury in her red eyes.

Then, they heard footsteps come near the cell. Ookami stopped shaking the bars.

"Well…look at the caged birds!" A voice called out.

In front of the cell was Fendrel. Ookami tried to reach at him through the bars, but he was too far away.

"Where is Teranika?" She asked through gritted teeth. "Tell me or I'll cut your throat out."

"My dear," Fendrel chuckled. "You don't have to be like that. But you are a spirit…I guess its just your nature."

"Shut it Fendrel!" Siegfried snapped. "Where is Teranika?"

"You mean that wolf beast?" Fendrel asked. "Well…let's just say that its going to be executed soon."

Ookami backed away, shaking her head. "No…No. Not Teranika…"

Siegfried glared at Fendrel with all the hate in his body. Fendrel just laughed.

"You're so cute when you're angry!" Fendrel laughed. "But your execution is very soon, boy. Remember? You betrayed the kingdom for the spirits. Guards, get him."

The door flung open and two guards went in there to get Siegfried.

"No! Take me!"

Everyone turned around and looked at who spoke. It was Ookami. Fendrel laughed.

"Well…looks like the spirit girl is willing to take the position for the traitor. She has guts. Very well…we'll take her instead. She can make a good pet for me."

The guards let go of Siegfried. He crawled to Ookami and held her hands.

"You don't have to do this," Siegfried whispered to her. His green eyes were flooding with distress.

"He'll kill you if I don't. I don't want you to die," She said as she hugged. "I love more than the moon and sun…"

The guards grabbed her by the arms. Before they took her away, she kissed Siegfried on the cheek. The two guards brought her out of the cell and they slammed the door shut. Siegfried ran to the bars and watched as his beloved was dragged up the stairs by the guards and Fendrel.

"Siegfried!" He heard her yell. "No matter what happens; I love you!"

"I love you too!" Siegfried yelled back.

Then he scrambled back to the darkness of the cell and began crying.

"Ookami…" He murmured as tears rolled on his cheeks. "I love you…"


	11. Solitude

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Soul Calibur.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Solitude**

Ookami followed Fendrel down the hallways of the castle leading to the throne room. Her wrists were in shackles and Fendrel was leading her by a chain that connected them together. A few minutes before, Fendrel was about to take Siegfried and have him executed for treason. Bur Ookami took his place, not wanting her lover to die. Fendrel told her that he wouldn't execute him, not yet at least.

"What are you going to do to me?" Ookami growled through her gritted teeth.

"Must you always be so defensive?" Fendrel asked as he smirked at her. "I'm going to go visit the king."

"Humph…why don't you just execute me? After all I am a "wretched spirit girl"."

"I'm not going to execute you. Instead, you are mine," Fendrel said as he turned his head to look at her.

Ookami laughed. "No way! My heart belongs Siegfried."

"Not any more. As of this moment, you are mine and if you reject I will have Siegfried killed."

Ookami's eyes widened. She shook her head. "No…you wouldn't do that."

"Yes…I would," Fendrel said as he narrowed his eyes. "Now, come on. We have a date with the king."

Ookami followed her appointed man as they went to the Althalos' throne room. She wanted to cry but she didn't want to show her sadness. How she wanted to see Siegfried right now! But if she did or even mention him, he would be killed.

They were in front of the throne room doors. Fendrel looked at Ookami.

"Be quiet and don't say anything, got it?" Fendrel instructed.

Ookami didn't answer and looked at the ground. Fendrel smirked and patted her on the head.

"Good girl," He said in a tone that creped Ookami out.

Fendrel opened the door and walked in. Ookami followed and looked at the ground. Two guards followed them in before Fendrel shut the door behind him and locked it. He walked over to Althalos throne. The young king was on the throne looking at Fendrel and Ookami as they came nearer.

"Greetings Fendrel," Althalos greeted as he rose out of his chair. He saw Ookami and cocked his head to the side. "Who's your friend?"

"That is none of your business," Fendrel sneered. "As of now, you are no longer king of Mordrivale."

"What?!" Althalos asked. "Fendrel, you can't just kick a king out of his position!"

"Well, I am! As of this day, Mordrivale is ruled by me,"

Fendrel snapped his fingers and the two guards that brought Ookami out of her cell. The guards walked over to Althalos and grabbed him around arms.

"Fendrel! I thought we were friends?" Althalos cried out.

Fendrel chuckled. "My dear, Althalos…we never were friends. Just…partners. Take him away. Put in the cell with Siegfried."

The guards obeyed and dragged the struggling Althalos out of the room. He was yelling protests all they all out. Fendrel just smiled and waved to him as he left.

Then, when the former king left, Fendrel walked to the throne and sat in it. Ookami was on her knees on the ground next to the throne.

"You see my dear…now the kingdom is mine. Now, your spirit friends will fall for sure."

Ookami didn't listen to his protests. She just looked at the ground, hoping that her beloved was okay and still alive.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The cell door swung open and Siegfried looked up to see someone had joined him. He stood up, hoping with the last ounce of hope he had left that Ookami had returned to rot in the dungeon with him. Then, the hope was killed when he say that it wasn't Ookami. It was the king, Althalos.

But he didn't look normal, like the first time he saw the young king. He was shaken and looked stressed. Althalos was pacing about the cell, running a hand through his short blonde hair. Siegfried walked out of the shadows and went into the light.

"What are you doing here?" Siegfried asked, startling the tense king at first. Then, a slight smile appeared on Althalos's lips.

"Siegfried is that you?" Althalos quivered.

Siegfried nodded. "Yes it is. But why are you here?"

A frown came across Althalos's face as he narrowed his brown eyes. "Fendrel took my kingdom from me and threw me in the dungeon."

Siegfried's eyes went wide. "Did he have a red haired girl with him?"

Althalos looked at him. "Yes, he did. She was a pretty little thing but very reserved. Why?"

"That was the person who kept me captive. Her name is Ookami."

Althalos's eyes flew wide. "Ookami?! You mean Protector of the Spirits Ookami? I thought she was just a myth!"

"Yes…that was her," Siegfried confirmed.

"But I thought she was suppose to be all powerful and couldn't be captured by any human."

"Well, she would be in here with me but she took my place since Fendrel said that he would execute me."

Fendrel walked over to the wall and punched it.

"How could've I been so blind? Why couldn't I see that Fendrel was going to kick me out of power?"

Siegfried placed a hand on the former king's shoulder. "Its not your fault. Fendrel is just a power hungry-"

"Please, Siegfried," Althalos interuptted. "I don't care about him right now. I'm just worried about what he might do to the kingdom."

'Or what he might do to Ookami...' Siegfried thought grimly.

"But what we should really focus on is trying to get out of here," Siegfried said as he walked over to the bars of the cell.

"That's almost impossible," Althalos muttered as he shook his head.

Siegfried looked at him and his expression harden. "Why is it impossible?"

"That's the way the dungeon was built," Althalos explained. "This was built when Mordrivale first entered the war with the spirits. My ancestors built this so when we had a spirit prisoner, they couldn't destroy with one of their devastating attacks."

"Figures..." Siegfried sighed. "We are never going to get out of here...."

Then, a guard screamed very loud. Siegfried perked up and the former king ran to the bars. The guard who was by their cell was gone without a trace. Althalos shivered.

"This isn't good," he muttered. "This is very bad. The spirits are angry...they are going to destroy us!"

Siegfried hear muttering from outside the cell that grew gradually louder. But he heard an odd thing...wings flapping. That means that a bird must be coming. But...could it be the golden eagle Kallias?

Then, he heard a voice that sounded like Sappho's. Were the animal guardians coming to save them?

"Hey! Kallias, Sappho! I'm here!" Siegfried shouted. Althalos looked at him with fear in his eyes.

"What are you doing?!" He asked.

"You'll see," Siegfried reassured the frightened king.

"I think I heard him," Siegfried heard a voice say.

Siegfried smiled as he the footsteps and voices came closer. Then, he saw Sappho, Kallias, Morag and Teranika. Teranika was free of any injury and looked like she did when they were separated.

"Siegfried!" Sappho said cheerfully. She looked inside the cell. "Where's Ookami and who's the guy with you?"


	12. Escape

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Calibur or anyone of it.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Escape**

Sappho looked at Althalos, her blue eyes wide as she sniffed him. Althalos stood terrified as the young tiger sniffed him carefully. After a few sniffs, Sappho's lips curled up in disgust and she backed away from the bars.

"Bleh!" She spat. "That's definately human and definately not Ookami!"

"Sappho!" Morag, the dragon, shot a glare at the tiger. "Show some respect!"

Kallias, beautiful golden eagle, went over to the bars of the cell's gate. She looked at Althalos with her kind golden brown eyes.

"You needn't be so worried," Kallias said calmly. "We're here to save some prisoners and find our master."

"Y-you just talked!" Althalos gasped out.

"Geez...haven't you've ever seen a spirit before?" Sappho growled.

Morag glared at the young tiger once more but Sappho really didn't care. Siegfried was ignoring all their talks and was looking at the wolf, Teranika. She looked at him with her red eyes and walked up to the bars in front of Siegfried. His eyes were tearing up as he placed a hand on the wolf's soft muzzle.

"I'm so glad you are okay," He said as he tried not to cry.

"Siegfried," The wolf said softly. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help you. Thoses wretched soldiers captured me before I could get to you or Ookami."

"Speaking of Ookami," The dragon coughed. "Where is she?"

Siegfried looked at the ground. He gulped and then looked up at Morag.

"She...she gave herself to Fendrel so then he couldn't execute me..."

The four animals eyes went wide. "She's gone?!"

"Where was she taken?" Sappho asked.

"She was with Fendrel before he threw me out of power and into here," Althalos butted in. "She's probably in the throne room with him."

"Kicked you out of power?" Morag asked.

"Yes," Althalos confirmed. "He came up to my throne room, said he was in power now, and brought me here. That's where I met Siegfried. There was a girl in chains following him, but I didn't know who she was."

"Do you think she is still there?" Kallias asked.

"She has to be!" Sappho said as her long tail was wagging.

"But how are we going to get out?" Siegfried asked.

A smile came on Teranika's face as her tail began to glow green. "Stand back everyone...."

The animal guardians backed away from her. Siegfried hestitated and then went to the darkness of the cave with Althalos. Teranika's tail grew birghter and brighter. Then, with a swing of her hindquarters, her green tail smacked the bars.

Everyone came out of there cover and walked to the gate. It didn't shatter like Siegfried expected.

"This is hopeless!" Althalos cried. "We're never going to get-"

Before the troubled king could finish his statement, the bars fell and there was a huged opening for them to escape.

"Not so hopeless now is it?" Teranika asked with a smirk on her face.

Althalos's mouth dropped as he walked out of the cell. Siegfried ran up to Teranika and wrapped his arms around her neck.

"That was cool," He said as he rubbed his head into her soft neck.

"This is nice and all," Sappho said impatiently. "But we still don't have Ookami!"

Siegfried backed away from Teranika and looked at the wolf. "Are there still spirits captured where you were at?"

"Yes," Teranika answered."There are still many spirits captured where I was."

"Then it is also important if we free them, as well," Siegfried said. "Fendrel will probably execute them soon."

"He is right," Morag said. "We need all the spirits we can get if we want to end this war."

"I suggest that Teranika and I go get Ookami," Siegfried said. "Then, the rest of you can free the other spirits."

"I like the sounds of that," Kallias said as she flapped her wings.

"As do I," Morag agreed.

"But what the king?" Sappho asked. She did bring up a good point. Would the king of the humans want to assist the spirits, who he is suppose to be fueding with.

Siegfried looked at Althalos, who was listening carefully to the plan.

"Your highness...do you wish to assist us?" Siegfried asked.

"We need all the help we can get," Morag added.

Althalos looked at them. "You freed me and then want me to help you?...Of course. Besides, I want to get back at that wretched Fendrel."

Siegfried smiled and walked over to Teranika.

"Are you ready for this?" Siegfried asked the wolf. A smirk came on the wolf's face.

"I'm ready to taste that man's blood...." She snarled.

Then, Siegfried thought about something. He didn't have a weapon.

"Wait, I don't have anything to fight with."

"No worries," Kallias said. "All you have to do is think of the weapon we gave you and it will materialize in your hand."

Siegfried nodded and closed his eyes. He thought of the weapon Ookami and her friends gave him, Oidche. He thought of the black handle of the blade. The silver steel with red inscriptions on the side.

Then, the blade appeared in his hands, like Kallias had said. He looked at the golden bird and nodded his head at her. She nodded her head in return.

Siegfried smiled and jumped onto the wolf's back. Sappho complained about having Althalos ride on her, but when Morag glared at her, she shut her mouth.

"Alright, we'll see each other back in the forest," Siegfried said.

The animals and Althalos nodded their head. Siegfried nodded back and the group went their seperate ways. Teranika ran up the stairs out of the dungeon.

I hope she's alright, Siegfried thought to himself as the wolf ran up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Fendrel had his arms wrapped around Ookami's small wait and stood behind her as his hard lips caressed her neck. Ookami did not like this feeling the man was giving her. Just several minutes before, he forced her to become his or else he would kill Siegfried. Ookami reluctantly agreed, so that her love would live. Her happiness did not matter for give it up for Siegfried's life.

She closed her red eyes as Fendrel was eating her neck. Ookami imagined she was in Siegfried's arms in a medow. Teranika and Sappho were having a mock battle in the tall green grass. Kallias and Morag were falling in the clear blue sky while Delano rested under a large apple tree. They were far away from war...far away from any problems what so ever. Then, the meadow disappeared and she was inside the castle, alone. All she could hear were footsteps that belong to a running beast. Ookami listened closely to the steps. It sounded almost like...Teranika.

Her eyes flew open and the footsteps continued. Was it Teranika who was coming to save her?

She closed her eyes and saw the white wolf. But she wasn't alne. Someone was on her back. Ookami looked closely at the person. He had long, following blonde and a large Zwelhander on his back. Then, she realized who it was. It was Siegfried on the wolf's back.

Ookami's eyes opened. Fendrel was still kissing her neck. She glared at him and with her right leg, she kicked him. Fendrel eyes opened as the girl kicked him into the wall. Ookami smirked and ran to the door. Fendrel glared at her and ran after her. Ookami got to the door and kicked it down. But before Ookami could escape the room, Fendrel wrapped his strong arms around her. She struggled in his arms, trying to get herself free.

"Siegfried! Teranika!" Ookami yelled. "I'm in the throne room! Please come and help-"

Fendrel covered mouth with his hand and they quickly exited the throne room. They ran down the hallway and went to the staircase.

"You're a real crazy girl. You know that?" He hissed in her ear. "I know exactly what I'm going to do with you."

Fendrel pushed Ookami up the stairs, while she cried her muffled protests.

Meanwhile, Teranika was running down the grand hall. She slid to a stop. Siegfried looked as her as she perked her ears.

"What's wrong?" Siegfried asked Teranika.

"I heard Ookami," Teranika answered. Siegfried's eyes widened. "She is in trouble and she says that shes in the throne room."

"Lets go!" Siegfried said. Teranika nodded and ran down the hallway.

Since she knows the scent of her master and it was still fairly fresh, Teranika had no trouble finding the throne room. Teranika went through the broken door and they were inside the large throne room. But there was no one in there.

"Where are they?" Siegfried asked. "I thought they were in here?"

"They were," Teranika said as she sniffed the air. "But not anymore."

"Do you know where they went?"

"Just give me a second."

Teranika took in the scents and in no time, she found Ookami's scent mixed with the stench of the newly proclaimed king.

"Found it," Teranika said. "Its very fresh meaning that she was just here."

"Lets go after her!"

"Right!" Teranika barked and took off out of the throne room.

Fendrel pushed Ookami into a room. The room was dark and very large. There was also a very large bed in the room. The bed was surrounded by a veal. Fendrel grabbed Ookami by the arm and brought her to the bed. He pushed her onto the bed. Her red eyes were filled with fear and she was trembling. An evil smirk was on his face.

"Afraid dear?" He asked in a harsh tone. "I hope you are."

She whimpered and he pressed himself onto her body.

"I'm going to make you mine. Whether you like it or not." His voice got low and husky.

He began kissing her face. She screamed and Fendrel covered her mouth with his hand.

Teranika and Siegfried heard as they were coming up the stairs.

"Shes in trouble!" Siegfried said. "Please hurry, Teranika."

"Yes Siegfried," Teranika barked.

The wolf immediately sped up her pace. At the top of the staircase, Teranika sniffed the air. She turned her head to the direction of the screams and ran towards it. As she ran down the hallway, Ookami's cries and screams were growing stronger.

Soon, they were in front of the door the cries were coming from. Siegfried got his weapon ready and he jumped off Teranika. He was ready to kill Fendrel for what he was doing to Ookami.

"Are you ready?" Siegfried asked Teranika.

A snarl was on her face. "I'm ready to kill that wretched human!"

Siegfried nodded and kicked down the door. The two were horrified by the position Ookami was in. Fendrel, Siegfried's new found enemy and long time enemy, was on top of Ookami, Siegfried's love. She apparently did not want whatever Fendrel was trying to do to her.

Siegfried was furious beyond comprehension. How could he, of all people, hurt her like he was doing. Thankfully, she was fully clothed, but he was about to do what Siegfried was dreading.

Fendrel saw them and got off of Ookami. A smirk was on his cruel face.

"How dare you hurt a woman like that?" Siegfried shouted. "Are you mad?!"

Fendrel let out a cold laugh. Then, he saw Teranika, who was snarling and growling furiously.

"Looks like the beast made it out," Fendrel said.

"Shut it, scum!" Teranika barked.

Ookami got up from off the bed and ran towards Siegfried. Fendrel grabbed the bottom of her shirt but the bottom ripped and she was able to get to her wolf friend. Fendrel looked at the ripped portion of the shirt and stuffed it down his armor. Siegfried pulled the weapon Oidche off of his back and got into his fighting stance.

"How dare you?" He growled through gritted teeth. "I'm going to kill you!"

Fendrel snarled at him and pulled out his sword from his sheath.

"Very well, traitor," Fendrel said. "I'll take you on."

As Siegfried charged at Fendrel, the ground started to shake. Siegfried turned around and saw Teranika stomp on the ground, causing the room to shake. Chunks of the ceiling fell to the ground, seperating Fendrel from Siegfried, Teranika and Ookami. Ookami jumped onto Teranika's back and looked at Siegfried.

"Come on!" She yelled over the noise from the shaking room. "Let's get out of here!"

Siegfried nodded and looked at Fendrel. He narrowed his eyes and yelled at him, "I will never forget this. I will come back and kill you."

Siegfried placed his sword over his back and jumped onto Teranika's back, behind Ookami. He wrapped his arms around her now bare waist and she kicked her wolf into a run. Siegfried hear Fendrel yell Ookami's name when they were in the hall. The earth stopped shaking. Siegfried was happy to smell Ookami's sweet scent.

"Its great to see you again Ookami," Siegfried said.

"It is great to see you again," Ookami aswered back.

"You guys can enjoy your reunion after we get out of here," Teranika broke in.

"But how are we going to get out?" Siegfried asked.

"All the exits were crowded with guards," Ookami stated. "The best thing we could do is jump out of a window."

"That'll have to do," Teranika said as she headed towards the stain glass window at the end of the hall. "I suggest you guys hang on tightly."

Siegfried wrapped his arms Ookami tighter and Ookami grasped to the wolf's fur. Teranika bolted at high speed to the window and jumped through the colored glass. She landed on the roof of the castle and slid down the sides of it till she was safe on the ground. Sappho was on the ground, her white and blue striped body was covered with sweat. The tiger was panting heavilly.

"We just freed the last of the captured spirits," Sappho reported. "Kallias and Morag brought them to the forest already."

"Good," Teranika said. "Let's get going."

"Wait, what was going on?" Ookami asked.

"While Teranika and Siegfried went to save you, Kallias, Morag andI went to free to the other spirits who were going to be excuted," Sappho answered. "Those guards were too easy! I scared them off with just one roar!"

"That's great Sappho," Ookami said with a smile. "But let's get going."

Sappho nodded and ran towards the forest with Teranika following. In no time, the spirits made it to the forest with no problems. They slid to a stop once they couldn't see the human side anymore. Siegfried and Ookami jumped off of Teranika's back and smiled at each other. Ookami jumped at Siegfried and she wrapped her arms around him. He fell onto his back and wrapped his arms around her waist. She giggled as she nuzzled her head into his hair.

"I'm so happy you saved me," She said to him.

Ookami brought her head to his heazd and kissed him passionatly on the lips. Sappho giggles and Teranika rolls her eyes playfully.

"Oh, get a room," Teranika joked.

Siegfried and Ookami stopped kissing, looked up at the wolf and laughed.

"Come on," Sappho purred. "Let's go home."


	13. Death's Grip is Closing

**Chapter Thirteen: Death's Grip is Closing**

* * *

It has been several days since Ookami and Siegfried had help escaping the murky dungeon of the Mordrivale kingdom. Siegfried didn't really care about going to the place of humans, but it did seem to take its toll on Ookami. Even though she was born of human parents, which was revealed by the forest queen Keita, she wasn't use to being near humans beside Siegfried. But, she was also taken by Fendrel and forced to love him. But Ookami wouldn't love him so he try with force. That was when Siegfried and Teranika came saved her and they got out of the kingdom alive, freeing hundreds of captured spirits as well.

The last few days have been quiet, if not boring. Aideen, the forest healer with the body of a deer, was still gravely injured by Fendrel. He rested in the den, laying on the floor. Delano would tend to his wounds and at first they seemed to be healing. But, the poison seemed to be taking its toll and slowly killing him. Delano estimated that he only had a few days left to live. This upset all the spirits in the den along with Ookami. Aideen was like a father to most of the spirits of the forest and basically the king after Keita died.

That morning, it was an overcast day. Ookami went out on a walk to get rid of some tension. Teranika went with her leaving just Siegfried, Kallias, Morag, Sappho, and Delano with the dying forest king. Every one of the spirit creatures were in their den sleeping. Althalos, the king of Mordrivale thrown out of power by Fendrel, was sleeping in Delano's den. Despite being human as well, the spirits seemed to take a liking to him. Siegfried was awake, sitting on the steps that led up to the cavern's mouth. He was looking at Aideen, who was having problems breathing. He could here the deer-like animal with many antlers wheezing and coughing as he tried to sleep. Ookami told him the each of the long straight antlers signified how old he is. Each one grew after he turned one hundred years old. In total, he had one hundred straight antlers on his head meaning that he was ten-thousand years old. Siegfried was astounded by how old he actually was. But even his age couldn't wear away the fact that he was dying.

Aideen opened his eyes hazel eyes and looked at Siegfried.

"Boy..." Aideen rasped out. It was clear he hadn't really the strength to speak. "Please...come near me."

Siegfried nodded and walked over to the dying spirit. He sat closely to Aideen on the side of his neck. He could hear his gasps for air and felt helpless for the spirit.

"I...I don't have much...time left in this...world," Aideen said quietly. "But...I wish to tell you something being you...are the only one awake in this place."

Siegfried looked at the deer-like spirit. "Please, Lord Aideen. Please tell me."

Aideen smiled faintly. "I've have seen many....many things in this forest...The trees grow...and many kings and queens that ruled....I even seen the start of this pointless war...."

Siegfried listened to Aideen's account of his life.

"But...In a way...I'm happy that I'm leaving this place....Alana was once a peaceful...beautiful place tainted...by the scars of war. The Alana that I knew...when I was a fawn will...come back very soon. But..the final battle must be fought still. The humans...are preparing for it."

"The final battle?" Siegfried asked. "When will it come?"

Aideen closed his eyes. "I cannot tell....But it is very soon."

Aideen lowered his head onto the ground and opened his eyes only half way.

"Keita...and the other leaders are calling me," Aideen rasped. Siegfried felt tears roll down his cheeks. "From this moment on...Princess Ookami is officially the leader and protector...of Alana. Delano, my precious pupil...is the healer of the forest. Please tell them that when they come...and say that the past leaders...say that."

"I will," Siegfried said quietly.

Aideen smiled faintly. "You know...you aren't that bad...."

Siegfried bowed his head in respect for the spirit.

"Good bye, Siegfried...." Alana whispered as he closed his hazel eyes for the last time.

He took one last shallow breath, exhaled it and he went on to the next life for spirits. Siegfried wiped away the tears fro his eyes and went to get Delano.

The old dark horse was looking at him as Siegfried entered the den. Althalos was sleeping on the wooden chair in the corner. Siegfried walked up to Delano. The horse's deep colored eyes seemed to know why Siegfried was in his den.

"Aideen went to join Keita and Airlia....didn't he?" Delano asked grimly.

Siegfried looked down at the ground. "Yes....He said that you are now the forest healer and Princess Ookami is now the Queen of Alana."

Delano sighed and slowly stood up. His legs creeked as he stood up. Delano looked at Siegfried, nothingness in his eyes.

"Wake up the human and the rest of the spirits, I need to talk to Ookami," Delano said. "They'll help you bury the body. But wait till I return with Ookami and Teranika."

Siegfried nodded and walked over to Althalos. Delano exited his den and went to the stone staircase to the mouth of the cavern.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It didn't take a fool to know where Ookami was thought Delano as he galloped through the dense forest of Alana. She and Teranika were under the Great Willow that was on a small rock island in the middle of the river that flows through the forest. It has been a sacred spot for the longest time, some even say that the willow's leaves could heal even the sickest of people. But, the leaves couldn't heal Aideen of the human poison.

When Ookami was a child, her foster mother Keita would bring her there to each full moon and she would tell her legends and stories. When Keita died, Ookami continued to go out to the Great Willow and honored her mother's spirit and all the other spirits who died against the humans.

Not long later, Delano saw the Great Willow floating on the river. At the river's edge, the elderly horse slid to a stop. Delano looked into the Willow and saw two figures. He lifted his head up and sniffed the air. He could definitely smell wolf scent. It had to be Teranika and Ookami.

The old horse took one step into the rushing water and immediately drew back his hoof.

"Brr!" He snorted and pawed at the ground. "Why must an old creature like me do this?"

Delano snorted and placed his front feet into the water. Grumbling the entire way, he swam across the river fighting the current. When he made it, he got out of the water and shook himself dry.

Delano's hooves clip-clopped on the stone of the rock. He jumped onto one of the massive roots and walked around the trunk till he saw Teranika and Ookami. The two were looking aimlessly at branches of massive willow tree.

"Aideen...." Ookami said, not even looking at Delano. "He's dead isn't he?"

Delano dipped his head in grief.

"Yes," Delano said quietly. "And he told Siegfried the will of our ancestors."

"What is it?" Ookami asked, still looking up at the branches.

"That I am now healer of Alana." Delano hesitated before continuing. "And...And you are now ruler of the forest."

Ookami's face did not stir, just remained emotionless. Teranika, on the other hand, stood up and began wagging her tail. The usually hard nosed wolf looked like a puppy who was chasing its favorite toy.

"Master!" Teranika said. "Th-this is incredible! You'll probably be just like Keita, if not better!"

Ookami stood up and turned her back on Delano and Teranika. The wolf and horse were confused by the girl's action.

"What's wrong, Ookami?" Teranika asked.

"Give the position to someone else," Ookami muttered coldly.

"Why?" Teranika asked. "You are now the leader of the spirits, aren't you the least bit excited?"

"Why should I be?" Ookami growled. "We're in the middle of a war. In only ten years, two great leaders have lost their lives. And I'm destined to fail."

Teranika looked at her and shook her head. "No you are not. You were raised by a great leader who loved and cared about you deeply. Besides, the spirits choose you, out of all the people in the forest to lead us through this time of fear and uncertainty. You are our eyes that can see through this darkness."

"No, I'm not!" Ookami snapped. She turned to face her friends, her red eyes brimming with fury. "I'm just a stinking human who was brought up by a spirit who deserved a better daughter than me. The ancestors are foolish for choosing me! I couldn't even save the life of Aideen. How am I going to ensure the lives of the other spirits?!"

"Ookami...please stop-"

Ookami interrupted Teranika," No! You know what? The ancestors probably expecting me to fail. They want me to die!"

"No they don't," Delano reassured. "You were raised spirit, they love you as much as any other spirit in this forest."

Ookami let out a chilling laugh. "Yeah right!" Ookami turned around and began to walk away. "I'm leaving this place!"

"You are dying, Ookami," Delano said out of the blue.

Ookami froze and turned around slowly to look at him. Her face has turned pale. "What?"

"You are dying," Delano repeated. "Airlia's spirit is slowly destroying your soul and body. The fainting...the coughing up the blood....That was from Airlia."

Ookami shook her head, her eyes full of disbelief. "No...No this can't be happening." She looked at Teranika, who seemed shocked that Delano revealed the secret. "Teranika...is this true?"

Teranika dipped her head. "Sadly...it is. Aideen told us after you fainted last time."

Ookami sat on the ground, looking at her hands.

"I'm...dying," She said as she shook her head. "Dying..." She looked at Delano, the words choking in the back of her throat. "How long do I have to live?"

Delano shrugged. "We don't know."

Ookami had a faint smile on her face and chuckled softly, "I was a fool...A fool to take up my dying sister's soul in my body. I didn't want her to die. She was my only true friend when I was growing up. I didn't want her to die. But...who knew that that decision would wind up killing me?"

She turned her head to look at Teranika and Delano, "Does Siegfried know?"

Delano shook his head. "No...He does not."

"Good," Ookami said quietly. "He should not know of this. If he knew, all he would do is worry about me. No man should have to do that."

Teranika and Delano nodded their heads.

"Come on," Delano said. "We need to go bury Aideen."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The grave site for Aideen was about a mile away from Ookami's cavern under a large oak tree. The hole was about seven feet deep for the deceased spirit. By the time Ookami, Teranika and Delano arrived to the burial site, Aideen was just placed into the ground and the group was about to pay their respects to the late spirit.

Ookami stood next to Siegfried and held he held her hand through Delano's entire speech.

"Aideen was a powerful and intelligent spirit who lived longer than most of us could imagine," Delano said. "He was a respected teacher and healer. But he also had one of the most kindest hearts in this entire forest. Even with this wretched war going on, he wanted to end it as peacefully as he could. But thanks to the poisonous blade of the humans sword, he died a most pointless and cruel death anyone could imagine. His successor, our new leader, Princess Ookami, will now speak."

Delano back up and Ookami stepped up to the edge of the grave, letting go of Siegfried's hand. Se looked down at Aideen's motionless body, took a deep breath and spoke.

"My brothers and sisters," Ookami started out. "Throughout these past one hundred years, we have seen the deaths of spirits. One after another, the humans slayed our friends, our family, even our loved ones. We have just witnessed the death of a great healer and leader, Aideen. He was a beautiful creature, who died a most unfair death. The forest and its dwellers cry for their fallen leader."

Ookami bent down and grabbed a handful of dirt. She looked down at Aideen and dropped the dirt onto his body.

"Sleep in peace, my friend," She muttered.

Ookami looked up at her friends.

"And, the ancestors have chosen a new leader of Alana," Ookami continued. "From this moment onward, I, Princess Ookami, protector of the spirits, am now the leader and ruler of Alana. I accept my new position with pride and honor, hoping to be as great as rulers in the past."

Sappho, the energetic tiger, reared up and yowled happily.

"All hail Princess Ookami!" She said cheerfully.

Kallias joined in by flapping her wings and yelling with Sappho. Morag tossed his head and joined. Delano was rearing up onto his hind legs and yelling the cheer. Teranika barked her encouragements as well.

Ookami smiled as she looked at her friends. Siegfried came up to her side and grabbed her hand.

"Congratulations, Princess Ookami," Siegfried said with a smile on his face.

Ookami grinned at her love and wrapped her arms around him.

Siegfried looked behind her and saw Keita, the nine-tailed fox smiling at him.

"Protect my daughter, Siegfried," The words echoed through Siegfried's head. Siegfried blinked and the queen was gone.

"I will Keita...I will with all my life."


End file.
